The Strike of a Match
by FlyingMidgetProductions
Summary: 8 Heroes, 4 Villains, 2 Worlds, 1 Apocalypse... There is no turning back for Ed. No matter what comes his way, he must protect his friends at all costs from enemies from another world. And there are many secrets yet to be discovered... PLEASE REVIEW.
1. A Change of Everything

**Welcome. If you are reading this, then you must be a fan of this cartoon as well. Since I am such a big fan of the cartoon, I decided to attempt to make an "epilogue" to explain what happened after the events of the movie. I know, this story is a bit far-fetched and unbelievable for something as innocent as Ed Edd n Eddy, but just about everything else on here is, so why not.**

**The story is already almost complete, with only a few chapters remaining. With that said, I'll be uploading each chapter daily since I don't feel like uploading them all at the same time. If you find that you enjoyed this chapter, be my guest and continue on. However, if you find it to be boring and not entertaining at all, then you may leave. I am merely uploading this for anyone who may be interested.**

**If you have decided to give this a shot, then read on...**

* * *

><p>The days in the Peach Creek community were beginning to become longer than usual. School had just been let out and kids are off doing who knows what. Together, in groups, they participate in hi-jinx and playing sports to maintain an active lifestyle. However, there is one kid in the cul-de-sac who doesn't fall into any of those categories.<p>

His name is Edward Matthew Irons, and he is part of the Eds, the common name for the trio of kids with the same name who pull scams on their victims in attempt to swindle money out of their pockets. Edward, or commonly referred to as Ed, is the brainless one, being the laughingstock in most of the plots that Eddy Skipper Affleck, the shortest member of the trio, hatches up. He is the "Ed-boy" who gets the most heat from the other cul-de-sac kids who pose as Eddy's victims. The one Ed to get along well with the other kids is Eddward Marion Landers, the brains behind each scam's mechanics and the "decoy" into luring the other children of the neighborhood into their trap.

But what makes Ed so different from the rest of the kids, including his own friends Eddy and Edd? It all dates back to the summer after their junior year in high school, as they prepare for the rest of their lives...

* * *

><p>The first day of summer vacation. The beginning of what seem to be the glory days for every child's imagination to run wild. That's how it goes for the kids of the Peach Creek cul-de-sac, at least up until their years in high school. After years of torture and hatred from the cul-de-sac kids and their parents, the Eds were finally accepted into their circle of friends after an encounter with Eddy's old brother. That was all past the three, as they believed they could make something out of nothing with their ex-rivals.<p>

At 6:00AM on the first day of summer vacation, June 16th for Peach Creek, most kids would still be sound asleep, enjoying unlimited hours of joyful sleep and relaxation. Most kids, excluding Ed.

As soon as the sun appeared in the blue horizon, Ed was up and in the middle of the cul-de-sac circle, sitting and watching the parents wake up and go to work while their children sleep soundly.

He frowned, "Why are they so grumpy? The little dinkins!" He hopped up, a goody smile planted on his face. He stared down the street, the driveways of the homes bare and vacant of any cars. "Summer vacation, here I come!" He shouted at the top of his lungs and ran down the street, laughing and tripping the whole way down.

"Ed!" A voice shouted angrily from one of the nearby houses. Ed stopped and looked, dumbfounded, at his friend Eddy, who was standing on his front step, awakened by Ed's playful shouts of excitement, "It's 6:30AM. I want to sleep!"

Both Ed and Eddy heard another door open, "Hey, keep it down, dweebs! We may be on cool terms, but I want my goddamn sleep!" He shouted and slammed the door shut.

Ed looked back at Eddy, eyes full of tears, "Ed, why are you crying?"

"He said bad word to me! Kevin hates me even though he said he likes me..." Ed said, sobbing into his dirty, green jacket. The stains from various experiments and food compilations still lingered and were impossible to clean, even with multiple rinse cycles in the washing machine.

Eddy shook his head, "Ed, you need to learn to get over it."

Ed looked up from his sobbing and watched as Eddy slammed the door, heading back to bed. "Nobody wants me anymore..." Ed said to himself quietly and continued sobbing, all the way back to his home.

* * *

><p>As the morning progressed, the kids of the community finally decided to wake up from their slumber at around 9:00AM. Eddy skipped breakfast and strolled over to Edd's house. Ignoring the doorbell, he waltzed right in and plopped his bottom into a chair at Double D's granite counter in the kitchen, where Double D was already at, in his pajamas still.<p>

"Um, there's a doorbell." Edd said whilst pouring his milk.

Eddy nodded, "That's some great news. Too bad I don't care." Eddy laughed at his own joke and hopped up, rummaging around in his neighbor's refrigerator, "Got anything good in here?"

Edd set the milk down and looked at his cereal, which looked rotten and smelled of mice, "Well, I've got mice infested cereal, if you would like some."

"Nah, I'm good. I can just see what Monobrow's got later when he decides to come out of his house," Eddy said and picked up a magazine and began flipping through the pages rapidly, "Say, have you heard about what Ed did this morning?"

Double D shook his head and set his bowl in the sink, listening to his stomach growl with hunger, "Nope. What happened? Oh, please don't tell me he robbed your fridge again."

Eddy shook his head, "Trust me, not even close. I wake up at six this morning and look out my window to see Ed running down the street, screeching and playing like it's mid-afternoon! Me and Kevin shouted at him to be quiet, and he went inside crying like a baby. What a wuss." Eddy began giggling a bit.

"Well, sounds like you were a bit hard on Ed, in my opinion," Double D said and signaled for Eddy to follow him. They walked upstairs and into his bedroom, where he picked out that day's wardrobe, "But that sounds sort of strange. Why would Ed cry at something like that when much worse has been said to him in the past?"

Eddy rolled his eyes, "Kevin did decide to say a few unpleasant words along the way, so I guess that might've set him off."

Edd widened his eyes, shocked, "Kevin cursed?"

Eddy nodded, "Yep. Said 'Goddamn'."

Double D nearly fainted, "Eddy, don't say that, too! Those words are forbidden in this household." He said as he slipped out of his pajamas and into his casual day clothes.

Eddy sighed and walked downstairs and out the door, Double D following close behind, "Well, sorry. Listen, sockhead, if we ever want to be the menacing graduates next year, we're gonna need to up our game here, which means cursing. Do you know what I mean?"

Double D crossed his arms and shook his head as they began walking down the street towards Ed's house, "Nope. Never. Besides, we already have the trust and friendship of the neighborhood kids, so what more could you possibly yearn for?"

"Double D, you have to understand that these kids in the cul-de-sac are just posers. Fonies. They will never survive as the top dogs next year in school. We want to be better than them, now don't we?" Eddy said, licking his finger tips and brushing them through his hair.

Edd sighed, "You don't have to be better than everyone, Eddy."

Eddy opened his mouth to speak, but stopped abruptly when he heard loud noises coming from the basement of Ed's house. Crashing, Banging, Drilling, the sorts. They quickly ran to the side of the house and looked through the window attached to the house, expecting to see Ed's dirty, impossible to live in room. Instead, they saw an immaculately clean room, with a made bed, fixed chair and carpeted floors.

Eddy and Double D were awe-struck by Ed's automatic, overnight improvement in cleanliness. Edd quickly opened the window and climbed inside, falling onto the floor and smelling the fragrance that was clinging to it. He became so distracted by it that he barely felt Eddy fall onto his back. Eddy climbed off and brushed his shirt, eventually helping Double D up as they both looked at the walls and floors and furniture of the room of the messy little friend.

"What happened?" Eddy asked in amazement.

Edd wiped his finger across multiple surfaces, from the chairs to the beds to the walls to even the bathtubs, "I'm not sure. Ed must have had a change of heart."

"Or maybe just a change of common sense." Eddy said and leaped into a cushioned chair, reclining and falling into a light slumber. Just as he did, Ed came bursting through his bedroom door, donning a black suit with a suitcase.

Ed looked at Double D intently, setting his suitcase down and taking off the suit, "Eddward? What on earth are you doing here at a time like this?"

Eddy automatically woke up to the sound of Ed's improved language and vocabulary, "Woah, when did you get so mature, lumpy?"

Double D looked at Eddy with a cold stare, "Show some respect, Eddy!"

Ed chuckled and walked over to his closet, hanging his suit on a rack and putting on a pair of slim jeans with his recognizable green jacket, clean and colored green, "Don't worry about Eddy, Eddward. If he wants to speak in a way that is disrespectful to the host, than be my guest."

Eddy stood up quickly, banging his knee on the metal part of the recliner, "Aw, that hurt!" He said and slowly calmed down, "Sorry, monobrow. Anyway, what's say we go and see what the neighborhood hooligans are up to?"

Ed shook his head and walked to an unnoticeable desk in the corner of his room, sitting down on a office chair and looking at a computer screen, "No can do, Eddy. Have a project I have to complete by the end of this week."

"Project! School's out, blockhead! We're supposed to relax and enjoy the care-free days while they last." Eddy said and smiled, looking at the sun through Ed's window entrance.

Ed laughed and pulled up a page about storm tracking, "Not school, Eddy. I'm actually participating in a competition hosted by SATCH that could make me a teenage millionaire."

Eddy's eyes widened up, "Millionaire? Millions of jawbreakers! I can just see it, it's so close and-"

"No jawbreakers, Eddy. They rot your teeth and can lead to many infection in your arteries, or so I hear." Ed said and began typing a report.

Double D leaned against a wall and watched Ed type, "Well, I'm proud of you Ed, despite how false that last bit of information is. Taking on responsibility and hygiene like you never have before. This truly is a day to remember!"

A shout could be heard from upstairs, "Jimmy, give me back my doll!" Sarah shouted. A loud crash followed as Ed jolted upstairs, leaving his two friends behind.

"Our friend is a goner to society! We've lost another good one, Double D..." Eddy said and planted his face in his palms.

Double D stared at Eddy in confusion, "Another one?"

Eddy looked back up, "Don't ask." He said and walked after Ed. Double rolled his eyes and followed suit.

**To be continued...**


	2. Cache the Term

**And the story continues...**

* * *

><p>As the day became the evening and eventually the night, Edd and Eddy continued to wonder what had happened to their once mindless and idiotic friend, who now spoke like a gentlemen.<p>

When the grandfather clock in Ed's room struck 10:00PM, Ed turned around in his office chair and looked at his two friends, who were laying on the floor, watching television, "Don't you guys think it's time for you to go home to your families?"

Eddy jolted up and yawned, "Couldn't agree more. Let's go, Double D." He said and climbed out the window.

"Be right there, Eddy!" Double D said and walked over to Ed, who was staring at his computer screen, continuing to type his project, "Ed, could you please answer one question for me?"

Ed stopped, "Yes, my good friend. What is it?"

Double D twiddled his fingers, nervous to ask, "Um... What exactly changed your personality so much? You used to be good ol' Ed, the lug who read comics and picked up houses. All you've done all day is type up some project. What happened to you?"

Ed clicked the save option and stood up, pushing the office chair under his wooden desk and walking over to turn off his television, "Well, many things happened quite fast, Eddward. We're growing up quite fast, and I'm not sure I could handle it... Until now."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Double D asked, taking a seat in Ed's chair.

Ed pulled up a stool from behind his TV and sat down, staring at Double D, "I'm guessing Eddy told you about what happened this morning, right?"

Edd nodded.

Ed sighed and continued, "I went home after figuring that they were all different than me in so many ways. My mom turned out to be sick that day, and I didn't even know, so I told her about my problems and she suggested I see a 'doctor'."

"Oh, ha ha. I get it now, the doctor helped you get a better personality and lifestyle through a psychological test, I presume." Double D said, chuckling.

"Not quite. My dad came home early an hour later and took me to my doctor, Dr. Benson. He told me that he would be performing a 'test' involving all the loose memories and ideas that are floating around my head. I went to sleep, and when I woke up, I felt like a new person." Ed said, smiling.

Double D raised an eyebrow, "So he accessed some sort of cache in your head? I've never heard of such a thing! If what you're saying really happened, then this could be a new day for science and medicine altogether."

Ed nodded and put the stool back, "I'll tell you more tomorrow. I have to finish my project and get ready for bed, so I'll see you later." He said and pointed to the window exit.

Double D stood up and climbed out, taking one last look at Ed before he shut off the lights and went back to working on his project. Edd walked down the street, the moon shining brightly in the empty night sky. Lights were seen coming from multiple houses, including Kevin's. Double D looked up at Kevin's window and saw the shadow of Kevin and someone else, "Is that Nazz?" He said to himself. He watched as they began to move around the room, bumping and making noises. He turned his head and began walking away, shocked by their behavior.

"Ed is right... Everyone is changing." He said and walked inside his home, ready to end the first day of what would be a life-changing summer.

"Breakfast is ready!" Eddy shouted from Double D's kitchen, banging a metal pot with a wooden spoon while steam from a kettle spread out through the house.

Edd slowly opened his eyes from his slumber, annoyed of being disturbed by Eddy every morning. Getting out of his blanket and placing them like they were never touched, he crept downstairs and saw Eddy standing at the kitchen counter, making omelets while wearing Edd's mother's apron.

"Why must you always bother me at this time?" Double D asked and sat down at the table, planting his head in the tile and falling back to sleep slowly.

Eddy continued flipping the omelet, "This is going to be good for you, neat freak. Trust me, you haven't lived until you've tried my omelets!"

Edd looked up from the table, his eyes being dragged down by the bags underneath them, "I think I've heard you say that dozens of times."

"Then it must be true! Ha!" Eddy said and flipped his omelet onto a plate. The plate, which was hanging just over the edge of the counter, collapsed onto the floor with the omelet, making a loud crash as it was sent into tiny pieces. Ants quickly came out of nowhere and began feasting on Eddy's 'breakfast'. Eddy glanced over at Double D, who was still sleeping, "Um, sockhead?"

Double D looked up, not noticing the omelet on the floor, "Is it ready?"

"Not... really," Eddy said and pulled Double D outside, where the sun was blocked by the field of light clouds in the sky, "Screw the omelet. Let's go see what Ed's got in his-"

Double D pushed Eddy's hand off of him, "Don't you remember what happened yesterday? Ed's changed for the better, but you're still treating him like he's a complete imbecile!"

Eddy groaned, "Fine, let's go see what Ed wants to do today."

Double D smiled, "Okay, let me go get my clothes on!" He said and rushed back inside, "Ack, there are ants on my floor! Shoo! Shoo!" He screeched from inside. As soon as Eddy heard that, he began to stroll away from the front porch, leaving Double D behind and heading for Ed's house.

When Eddy and Edd reached the normal entrance of Ed's house, they found the glass window gone, replaced with the normal material that was used to make the house, "Double D, where's the window?"

Double D looked at Eddy, grumpily, "I'm sure Ed had it removed because some people are rude and enter without letting him know in advance. We'll just have to use the front door."

The pair walked around to the front door of Ed's house, where Sarah Clementine Irons, Ed's younger sister, and her friend Jimmy Ingles were playing with a dollhouse. Sarah looked up at the two and stood up, looking at Double D with her eyes wide, "Hey there, Double D..."

"Hiya, Sarah. Is Ed home?" Double D asked, stepping up to the door.

Sarah began to scratch her face nervously, "Well... I... Um..."

"Just walk in. He said he was going to make tonight's dinner or something." Jimmy said straightforwardly. Double D nodded and walked inside, immediately spotting Ed with a bowl of mashed potatoes in his hand.

Ed looked over and set the bowl on the dining room table, "Oh, hey guys. I'm glad you could make it, because I wanted to ask you something."

Eddy and Double D looked at each other and then back at Ed, "Um, sure, monobrow! What is it? Something bothering you?" Eddy asked, to Double D's gesture of approval.

Ed sighed and sat down on the living room couch. Eddy and Double D followed and sat down in separate chairs, looking at Ed's facial expression, "What's wrong, Ed?" Edd asked nervously.

Ed looked up, "I wanted to know your opinion about something."

Eddy rolled his eyes, "What? If you want to get our opinion, then you need to tell us-"

"What do you guys think of me moving?" Ed asked.

**To be continued...**


	3. Clouds are the Battlefield

**The story continues...**

* * *

><p>"What!" Eddy shouted as he heard the announcement that his close friend would be moving. He leaped off of his chair and ran up into Ed's face, "You can't be serious, blockhead!"<p>

Ed pushed Eddy away and stood up, "I'm as serious as can be, short one. My dad got a job in the government, so I have to go to D.C. It's one of the reasons why my dad took me to see my doctor."

Double D was confused. He looked around at Ed's house, noticing that everything was still in place, not moved in the slightest, "If you're moving, then why is nothing packed up yet?"

Ed grabbed the bowl of mashed potatoes and began stirring it, "I don't leave for two months, so that's the upside. We can get in as many adventures as possible before I leave."

Eddy sighed and smiled a bit, "Well, what kind of adventures do you want to partake in, you old lug?" He walked up to Ed and took the bowl of mashed potatoes and began eating them, even though they were barely stirred. He set the bowl down and spat it out all over the floor moments later.

Ed jumped up and down with excitement, "Oh, oh! We can go to the Natural Science Museum in downtown! Or we could kayaking and fishing while taking pictures of koala bears!"

"I'm pretty sure koala bears don't live in Peach Creek, Ed." Double D said.

Eddy shook his head with a groan, "Besides, those things are dumb. We need to do something exciting! Like..."

"Like riding a roller coaster?" Ed said.

Eddy nodded, "Exactly, Ed. We should go to an amusement park soon and ride a roller coaster!"

"Well, I wouldn't advise going today. It looks like the chance of precipitation is growing by the hour." Edd said and looked out the window as raindrops began to plummet to the ground from the sky. Sarah and Jimmy quickly ran inside, clutching their dolls that were barely wet.

Sarah sat Jimmy at the kitchen table and fetched him a towel, "It's okay, Jimmy. This towel will get you dry in no time!"

Eddy laughed, "Jimmy isn't even wet! Just a raindrop. Jeez."

"Uh, actually, that raindrop looks like it's spreading." Ed said and pointed to the spot the raindrop originally landed on. The stain that it left was spreading slowly but fast enough that someone wouldn't fall asleep while watching.

Double D widened his eyes at the sight, "Good heavens, that's unusual. If the rain hasn't even picked up, then it couldn't be spreading that fast... Could it?"

Jimmy gulped and lifted up his shirt, revealing a purple circle engraved on the part of his chest that the stain was touching. He began screaming as purple animated stems began spreading from the circle, "Ah! What's happening to me!"

Sarah nearly began throwing up at the sight of the thing on Jimmy's body, "Ed, you have the brains! What is that?"

Ed was just as shocked as everyone else, "I don't know, either!"

Jimmy began crying even more, leading Sarah to grab the towel, "Don't worry, Jimmy, it's probably just a smear!" She shouted and began to try to wipe it off with the towel. After noticing that it didn't come off, she began wiping harder, burning Jimmy's skin.

"Ouchies!" Jimmy shouted, pushing Sarah off him.

"Sarah, it looks like that mark is internal. You can't wipe it off." Ed said and inspected it closer. All it was was a purple circle on Jimmy's chest with purple squiggles that looked to be indented into Jimmy's skin.

Double D looked out the window at the rain, noticing that the ground was covered in the purple circles and stems as well, "Ed, come look!"

Ed ran over and saw the circles, eventually running outside and seeing the raindrops were colored purple. The sky was a strange tint of red and what looked like the top of a tornado was forming, "This is abnormal! What could be in the air to be causing something like this?"

Eddy suddenly pointed to a shining spot next to the tornado tip, "Look up there! Is that a star?" Ed looked at it and saw that it was larger than it was supposed to be.

All of a sudden, the ground began to shake automatically, sending the kids to their stomachs and backs. Double D began rolling back inside the house, hitting the door step and shouting in pain, "Oh, curses! What is going on? An earthquake?"

Ed slowly stood up and grabbed Jimmy, Sarah, and Eddy and brought them into the house, shutting the door behind them as the quakes grew stronger. He then rushed upstairs and set the three down in his parents' room and went back downstairs in search of Double D.

"Ed, help!" Edd shouted. Ed looked around in a panic until he finally saw his friend, getting ready to roll out the open back door. Ed quickly ran after him and grabbed his arm just before he rolled out into the rain. With his strength, he pulled Double D back inside and closed the door, leading Double D carefully to where everyone else was.

As they got to Ed's parents' room, they all got on their knees and prepared for the roof to collapse at any moment. Jimmy began squeeling, while Ed continued to watch the tornado closely. The star that Eddy pointed out multiplied, with six different ones surrounding the tornado. Suddenly, a purple color began to develop in the cyclone, and the stars shined brightly. Ed flew back, knocked out completely. The rest of the kids quickly fell asleep as well, unaware that the house had collapsed with them in it.

Several hours later, Eddy awoke with a startle. He heard a loud boom coming from the sky and sat up straight, looking at the rubble of not only Ed's house, but every other house in the neighborhood. He quickly got up, blood streaming from his temple, and looked through the mess for the others. Picking up pieces of cement and furniture and tossing them aside, he found no traces of any of them, thinking that they were completely wiped out by the quake.

Looking back up at the sky, he saw the tornado, except the inside was completely purple. He thought he saw faces inside, but then he shook his head and saw that they were gone. Turning away from cyclone, he continued looking for his friends, eventually finding a big hill towards the back end of the house. He began climbing through the remains and eventually found the arm of Ed, attempting to wake him up by pulling on his arm.

"Come on, lumpy, wake up!" Eddy shouted, about ready to burst into tears. Finally, he saw Ed's fingers move. Seconds later, the cement that was piled on Ed was removed, with Ed standing up, badly bruised in his head, "Oh, thank god you're alive!"

Ed nodded slowly, grunting at various pains in his neck, "Eddy, what happened here? Everything is gone." He began walking through the rubble, picking up massive pieces of cement and breaking them in his hands. After a few minutes he stumbled upon the bodies of Edd, Sarah, and Jimmy, all clumped in a close area.

Double D slowly got up, positioning his hat back on his head. Once his hat was back on like it usually was, he looked around and saw the community in ruins, "Everything..."

"Is gone. We know." Eddy said, his face almost in tears and blood.

Jimmy got up, barely even hurt. He ignored the mark on his chest and helped Sarah up, who was badly bruised on the arms and neck, "Jeepers, what happened here? And what's that thing in the sky?"

Ed looked at the tornado, which began growing wider, "That is most definitely not a tornado. It's some sort of vortex... Or maybe even a black hole."

Double D stared at Ed, wide eyed and freaked out, "A black hole! Ed, if that's a black hole, then-"

"Let me finish, Eddward. That kind of black hole looks to be a rare one called a Silver Nova, which spits out things that other black holes have sucked up." Ed said, taking off his shirt and handing it to Eddy, who put on his temple's wound.

"So it's the exit of a black hole?" Eddy said.

"If you wanted it put simple. Silver Novas shouldn't be occurring in these parts of the universe for another couple of centuries. If they are, then the results are apocalyptic." Ed stated, a worried look in his eyes.

Eddy began sweating, "We're in the apocalypse? Holy crap!"

"My thoughts exactly. We are survivors of the end of the world, truly our guardian angels are watching over us." Double D said, smiling and chuckling a bit.

The group of kids began joking around slightly but immediately stopped at the sight of something being sent down to the ground from the Nova. A being the size of an average adult with the body of an average male adult, except made of some sort of silver. It slowly was sent down in a aura of yellow, and landed with a loud boom.

Jimmy nearly began squealing until Eddy covered his mouth, "Ed, what the hell is that thing?"

Ed stepped back, "I don't know. Extra terrestrial life, maybe?"

Suddenly, the being, standing in place at the end of the cul-de-sac, turned it's silver, faceless head in the kid's direction. The only way they knew that he was facing them was a red dot in the center of what should be his face.

The being turned the rest of it's body to them and slowly began approaching, "LIFE FORMS HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED. REDUCTION PROCESS IS TO BEGIN IN 5-" The being's robotic voice said.

"That thing is going to kill us!" Jimmy screamed.

"-4-"

"We have to get out of here, Ed!" Double D cried.

"-3-"

"Hey, monobrow, listen to us for a minute!" Eddy shouted.

"-2-"

"Big brother, do something!" Sarah screeched.

"-1-"

"We will stand our ground." Ed said, to everyone's shock.

"-0. REDUCTION PROCESS WILL COMMENCE." The being said and flew forward at immaculate speed, planning to ram directly into the group of kids and kill them in a single blow.

**To be continued...**


	4. Killer in Shining Armor

**Welcome back. The story finally picks up in this chapter, so things should start to be at least a little more entertaining. Either way, I present to you Chapter 4. **

* * *

><p>As the silver man quickly flew at the five kids, Ed got in front of it, and was able to hold it back from going any further with his strength, "You won't be getting to my baby sister. Got it?" Ed said and, with his strength, forced the being to ground, where it lay silently. Ed relaxed and turned to the others, who were shocked by Ed's sudden bravery. He made the signal to come over, and they all crowded around the being, who didn't move an inch since Ed pushed him down.<p>

"What is it, blockhead?" Eddy asked, grabbing a stick with the intention of poking it. Ed quickly noticed and pulled the stick away, throwing it into the nearby bushes.

"I don't know, Eddy, but we don't want to disturb it. You saw how fast it flew, you don't know what it might be capable of." Ed said and backed away. The others did the same.

After a few silent moments, the being lifted it's head slowly, and then stood up without any problems. It looked around with it's red dot at the kids, and then stopped when it saw Ed, "YOU ARE THE ONE WE WANT."

Ed raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

The being pointed it's index finger to the sky, "ENTERING CASUAL MODE." The being's robotic voice said. A dark blue shock from the vortex zapped it's index finger and the being held out it's hand for Ed to shake, "I'm sorry I was a disruption to you and your little friends here." The voice had changed from robotic to manly and friendly. The kids felt a little more calm after hearing that it had a normal voice.

Ed slowly shook the being's hand, his face full of puzzlement, "What are you? Who are you? And most importantly," He said, pointing to the Silver Nova in the sky, "Why the hell is that here?"

The being sighed, "The Silver Nova?"

Ed smiled, feeling smart for knowing what it was, "Yes."

The being walked out of the circle of kids and into the end of the street, which was still covered with the purple circles and stems, which connected the circles to each other, "We came here in search of you, Edward Irons. We want your mind because you are the only one who can guide us."

Everyone looked at Ed and, at the same time, exclaimed, "What?"

"Aren't you gonna make one of your stupid comic book references, monobrow?" Eddy said, nudging his friend in the rib. Ed shook his head and pushed Eddy away.

"Please expand on why you need me to help you." Ed said, walking closer to the being.

The being cracked it's fingers and stared at Ed, it's red dot turning to purple, "I am Regal, the coordinator of the race known as the Psychometrics. We were swallowed from our planet in the Andromeda galaxy by the S-109 Black Hole that occurred exactly 67 minutes ago. We were sent here by my master, Prometheus, to find the one called Edward and retrieve him. And so I have found you, thankfully."

Ed raised his eyebrow again, "I don't believe it."

"You must come with us, young mastermind. Without you, we will perish in this cruel world's atmosphere." Regal said, raising a fist into the air.

Ed looked at the others, who had the same confused look that he did. Looking back at Regal, he sighed, "I can't. I have to go find the others that fell victim to this earthquake."

"Ah, but I can do that in a matter of minutes... Just as long as you come with us." Regal said, preparing to snap his fingers. This choice made Ed extremely nervous. He could go with this man and save his friends' lives, or he could stay and let his friends die from whatever had crushed them from the earthquake.

Ed pushed Regal, causing everyone to gasp, "Screw it, I'm not going with you. No matter what you say, I belong here and nothing will change that."

Regal pushed Ed back, forcing him to fly back to a lonely tree several meters away and knock it over, "Big brother!" Sarah shouted as everyone ran over to his side. Regal slowly walked over, preparing to force Ed to go with him.

"I gave you a choice, young one. But you took me for granted and now you will suffer." He said and picked Ed up by the neck, preparing to choke him to death. Sarah began screaming as she watched her brother slowly die in front of her.

"Do something!" Sarah said as she tried to hurt the otherworldly being. Sarah punched, kicked, bit, and scratched, but nothing affected him. It was as if he were invincible.

"Let go of him!" Eddy shouted and jumped at Regal's head from behind, sending him into shock and freeing Ed from his grasp. Regal, furious at the group of kids, clenched his fist, somehow causing an explosion of air that blew all the kids away from each other, at least several dozens of miles, leaving Regal surrounded by the torn up ground from his attack.

* * *

><p>As Eddy slowly awakened, he noticed that the wound from his temple had opened up again, with blood beginning to come out slowly, "Damn, I need to get this thing closed up." He said and looked around. He was in a hilly field, with natural grass and flowers that hadn't been touched by the earthquake. He walked to the top of the nearest hill and looked all around, noticing that he was in a part of the woods that he had never seen before.<p>

"Well, this is just the best goddamn day ever. I'm probably just gonna end up killing myself sometime later..." He said and sat down, shoving his face onto his knees and closing his eyes, trying to focus. A few moments into his concentration, he was startled by the squeal of a pig, and he knew what pig that squeal belonged to. Looking up, he saw Rolf Wetzel, a local farmer and 'son of a shephard', donning torn up clothers, a straw hat, scars and cuts on his muscular body, and a wooden staff. He was leading multiple animals, all his property, across the field a mile away. Eddy jolted up and began sprinting towards him.

Rolf turned towards Eddy's direction and smiled, "Rolf sees that he is not the only one who survived the last day of Nana's prophecy!"

Eddy immediately stopped and looked at Rolf, dumbfounded at what he just said, "Um, where ya heading, Rolf? Perhaps back to the neighborhood?"

Rolf laughed, "No, silly misunderstood ed-boy! Rolf is taking a trip to Nana's home in the land of the babbling brook. Would little Eddy like to be Rolf's company?"

Eddy looked around, knowing that he was in the middle of nowhere, "Um, sure... But if we ever run into Double D and Ed, then I have to go with them. And when I say I have to, I mean it."

Rolf nodded and began walking, "Rolf understands. Eddy cannot leave his bubble goose friends behind in a troubling time like this, can he? I think not."

Eddy smiled, knowing Rolf was strong enough to handle what would happen if Regal were to ever cross paths with them. He then looked at Rolf and began what would be a long conversation.

* * *

><p>"Jimmy! Where are you?" Sarah shouted at the top of her lungs. She was lost in the middle of a random corn field, somewhere outside of Peach Creek. She had been wandering ever since she woke up half an hour ago, looking for her best friend that she could be with while the world was in danger.<p>

While walking, she heard some movement nearby, like a rustling in the piles of corn. She looked around but saw nothing, "Stupid noises are getting to me. When I find that Regal, I'm gonna-" She was cut off by the sound of the rustling again. Taking a closer look, she saw a black ski hat in a group of corn stalks and a skinny hand trying to find it, eventually grabbing it and pulling it out. Sarah smiled and stood up, seeing Double D look the other way, his hat dirty but still able to wear, "Hiya, Double D!"

Double D jumped at the voice and turned around to see Sarah, "Oh, hi... Sarah, where is everyone? And where's that silver man? I think his name was Reggie or something."

Sarah shrugged her shoulders and walked to Edd's side, "I dunno. We should go look for the others though, shouldn't we?"

Double D sighed and look all around, seeing no possible ways to determine where to go. Empty horizons surrounded the pair, making him think that they may be stuck forever, "Sarah, which way was your head facing when you woke up?"

"I dunno."

Edd rolled his eyes, "I should have figured. Okay, at least show me where you woke up." Sarah nodded and pulled Double D towards a small clearing in the cornfield around a mile away. She stopped at a patch of dirt with a hole shaped like a small girl in it. Double D smiled, "Okay, lay down just like you were when you woke up." Sarah nodded and layed down in the indent, her head facing towards south.

Sarah got up, "What the heck was the point of that?"

"We need to head north. That way, we can get back to Peach Creek and maybe find the others. Let's go!" Double D said and began running towards the north, with Sarah tagging along.

* * *

><p>As night began to approach the apocalyptic community of Peach Creek, Ed finally awoke from his unconsciousness on the shore of the river that ran through the junkyard. Drenched by the water, he looked around to see who had pulled him out of the water, "If I'm soaking wet, then I was in the water... But who pulled me out?" He asked himself and stood up, feeling weak from Regal's air explosion. Walking down a dirt path, away from the river, he saw a small fire in a clearing. Walking towards it, he heard a familiar voice not too far away.<p>

"Tra-la-la-la!" Jimmy's voice quietly echoed through the trees as he carried a small piece of wood to the fire and put it in, watching the fire grow, "Jeepers, Ed will be so proud of me when he-" Jimmy cut himself off when he saw Ed standing there, awake and completely drenched.

"Jimmy?"

"Ed, thank goodness you're alive!" Jimmy said and ran to give Ed a hug, "I saw you floating with the river's current, so I quickly dragged you out and let you dry a little bit while I make this fire for both of us."

"How did you learn to make a fire?" Ed asked, walking over to sit and warm himself by the heat. He looked around at the forest, which looked nearly untouched by the Silver Nova, which shocked him.

"I've been on multiple Urban Rangers camp-outs over the past few months. It's really come in handy right now, huh?" He said with a giggle. He then reached and pulled off Ed's jacket and set it aside, "You should let that dry. Stay here while I go get more wood."

Ed nodded as Jimmy skipped away. Staring into the fire, he still remembered the attack from Regal. The memory lingered on in him despite his best efforts to get rid of it. How a lot of the Silver Nova incident had yet to be explained, Ed still thought that he needed to stand his ground in case that Regal was still searching for him.

It worried him because if he was attacked and killed, then Jimmy would be too. The thought got worse when Jimmy came skipping back with more wood. Setting it down in a wood pile, he walked over to the fire and looked at Ed, "Something troubling you?"

Ed shook his head, "No. I'm fine. Just worried about the others."

Jimmy sighed and nodded in agreement, "Me too. I hope Sarah is okay. I don't want her to be scared that she might die."

Ed suddenly burst into tears in reaction to the comment, "We need to find the others... Sarah can't die!" He shouted and stood up. Looking at the multiple paths that branched off from the clearing.

Jimmy stood up and calmed Ed down, "We can't go now! Who knows what's lurking in these parts of the woods. Besides, we can keep a close watch out for that evil man who tried to hurt you in the daytime easier."

Ed nodded, realizing that Jimmy knew how to keep his cool, "You're right. We'll rest here tonight and leave first thing in the morning."

The two smiled as reassurance that everything would be okay and put out the fire, making a decent bedding from the leaves and dirt. The moon was high in the sky as Ed watched, him sleeplessly thinking about where the others were. He heard the snores of Jimmy as he looked at the stars in the sky. They were visible for once without the Silver Nova screwing anything up.

Slowly, he closed his eyes and smiled, for he knew things would go their way in the end. He just knew it.

**To be continued...**


	5. Tales of the Shepherd

**Yet another chapter of the story is presented. The entire story should be complete and uploaded in a month, so until then please rate and review if you want, yes? No? Either way, please proceed to reading if that's what you came here to do.**

* * *

><p>Eddy never thought he would ever be interested in one of Rolf's conversations. The boy talked for hours on end about his life with his Nana and how he used to live in a slaughterhouse. Eddy, silently looking at his friend, listened with amazement at what the farm boy had gone through as a child, "That actually reminds me of the time Rolf went to a cheese hurling contest in Switzerland and almost got hanged, ya ya!" He said as if it was nothing.<p>

The pair originally began travelling in a massive field with countless hills, random flower patches, and an empty horizon. As they continued to walk and chat with each other, they entered the massive Laker Woods, which were unexplored by the kids of the Cul-de-sac. They didn't even know it existed. Unlike the smaller woods that seperated the neigborhood from areas such as the Construction zone and the Junk yard, it had more animals that seemed a tad unusual to be inhabiting such a dirty area.

There were several paths through the woods, with one heading towards a lake and the other going to an unknown area. From where they stopped at an intersection, they could see the lake from the top of the hilly path, which had steep turns every now and then, "Rolf, I'm pooped. What's say we sit and take a break, cause I'm sure Wilfred could use it too." Eddy said, sitting down on a mossy rock. The woods was littered with trash from the various hikers that came through here. It was still able to maintain a nice atmosphere, with a mulch-covered path and high grass and plants of all sorts covering small fields. Animals were aplenty too, but were trying to keep a safe distance from the wandering travellers.

"Rolf agrees with the flat headed Ed-boy. Rolf thinks that we should think of where to go. Lake or woods?" Rolf said, sitting down and taking off his massive backpack, setting it on the ground and pulling out a candied beet. He began to take out large pieces and shove them into his mouth, looking at Eddy as he waited for a reply.

Eddy scratched his chin and thought about it for a moment, looking at the sky, which returned to it's unusual red tint after a normal night. He walked around the intersection until the Silver Nova came into view, "Well, I guess it doesn't matter where we go. I'm just scared out of my pants what is going to come out of that hole in the sky next."

Rolf finished the beet and began to rub Wilfred's belly, making his goat, Victor, jealous, "Rolf is confused. What does short little Ed-boy mean by next?"

"Well, something already came out of there, and that's how I ended up in the field back there." Eddy said, taking off his shoes and rubbing his feet. He looked at the tall trees that surrounded him and the bugs that seemed to be acting normal, alive and well.

Rolf put his backpack back on with a grunt, and strapped it tightly to his chest, "Oh, so couch potato Ed-boy run away from monster that has come to eat us all? Smart move, I think yes."

Eddy shook his head, "No, no, no, I was blown away by the monster that came out of that thing. It said that it was after Ed, and he began attacking us after monobrow refused to go with him. We should've been killed!" Eddy said, acting out what he remembered. Rolf stared in confusion but nodded in agreement, "So, wait, how come you were walking here? You got blown away too?"

"No, silly Ed-boy. I was taking Victor and Wilfred for a stroll through the natural world called the forest until it began raining. Rolf and his animals got under a tree and saved ourselves from the raindrops that curse those who are intact with them. Rolf knew it wasn't safe in the simple minded Peach Creek community and ventured off to seek protection with his Nana, yes yes!" Rolf said, beginning to walk down the path towards the lake before he stopped, "Eddy, where do we go? Rolf cannot decide if he wants to take a swim or work his animals out to a pulp."

Eddy pointed towards the lake, "Let's go to the lake, because that last part you said kinda worried me." He said with a slight chuckle and started down the path. Rolf nodded and snapped his fingers, making Wilfred and Victor pay attention to him. Together, they traveled down the path, ready for whatever they find at the unknown lake.

"Sarah, you have got to learn to keep up. How else are we supposed to get to Peach Creek by nightfall?" Double D said as they entered the woods from the cornfields. They had been walking all day, mainly because Sarah was too young to be walking such a distance in a short amount of time.

Sarah sighed and began to cry, "You hate me!"

Double D jumped at the sight of tears on her face, "No, no! I don't, I just..." He said and trailed off as Sarah looked up at him with a hopeful grin.

"You what?" She asked, a shine in her eyes.

"I just want you to keep up, that's all." Double D said, turning back towards the forest and taking the first step in. Sarah began insulting Double D under her breath, but calmed down and followed the leader.

Edd noticed right off the bat that they were in a completely different forest than the usual one near Peach Creek, "This isn't good at all, Sarah. If we've never been in this part of the woods before, then we must be farther from home than I expected!" He said with a shocked tone of voice. Beginning to have a panic attack, he sat down on a stump of a tree, admiring the beauty of forest. The birds were flying happily, not being disturbed by the two kids who were trying to find they're way home. Sarah pointed at a path that ran straight through the forest for miles.

"Are we going to have to walk that entire thing?" Sarah asked.

Double D nodded with a frown, "Curses, if I knew this were going to happen in advance, I would have packed us some water bottles, a first aid kit, some eating utensils and a notebook to track all the types of birds we see! Oh, how I'm never prepared these days..." He said doubtfully.

Sarah frowned at Double D and patted him on the back, "Don't worry, we'll get through here. We don't need that stupid educational stuff you just said. All we need is each other and that's it!" She said and began skipping down the trail, singing to herself.

Looking up and seeing Sarah rush down the trail, Edd sighed and realized that travelling with a person that likes him is going to be a great challenge he won't ever forget. With that in mind, he began chasing after Sarah, forgetting about where his friends were.

"Ed, you've been sleeping all day!" Jimmy said calmly to Ed, who shot up onto his feet automatically. He could tell that it was around noon by the position of the oddly colored sun in the red tinted sky. The Silver Nova was still in it's same spot, he noted to himself, and Regal hadn't found them, which was good. Jimmy watched as Ed began to roam around the campsite, looking at the diminished fire and the clean state of everything, including themselves.

Ed looked at Jimmy and smiled, knowing that he had successfully made sure his little sister's best friend was okay, "How long have you been awake, Jimmy?"

"For several hours. I was able to dry my clothes this morning. I was getting ready to dry yours, but realized that your body heat dried it over night." Jimmy said, jumping with joy.

Ed nodded and looked around at the eight possible exits from the camp. There were three that lead off into the rest of the woods, four that led towards the river, and one that led towards an undiscovered mountain range, at least to the Cul-de-sac kids. In fact, Ed had first noticed the range when he was looking at all the possible exits.

"Jimmy, since when has that mountain range been there? I've never seen it before," Ed said, pointing at the peak, which was very high in the sky, "Is it an effect of the Silver Nova?"

"Beats me," Jimmy said with a shrug, "Which way are we going to take, Captain Ed? I want to get back to Regal and give him the one-two-buckle my shoe!"

Ed put his finger to his mouth, signaling for Jimmy to be quiet, and put his other hand on the young kid's shoulder, "Listen, we can't go near that thing. If we do, he's going to kill us, and I know that that's a scary thought. We need to think of the best possible way of getting to the others."

Jimmy raise his hand with a smile as if he was in a classroom.

Ed played along, "Hmm... Jimmy?" He said and pointed.

Jimmy smiled even more and put his hand down, "We should go to the mountain. That way, we can look from the peak and see where Peach Creek is!"

Ed sighed, "But we don't want to go to Peach Creek. That's where Regal is, and you remember what I said earlier, right?"

Jimmy nodded and pointed to the mountain peak, "But everyone else is probably heading for Peach Creek because they think that's where we are!"

Ed realized what Jimmy was saying was correct. If Regal was still in Peach Creek and everyone was heading for the community, then they were all in serious danger.

Just now awaking from the disaster that occurred the previous day, Kevin Haines, the local jock of the neighbordhood kid group, climbed out of the remains of his home and stood, wincing from the pain of his blood covered forehead and looking at the remains from the earthquake, "My god, who in the right mind-"

Just then, Nazz, the local chick who everyone wanted to be involved with, especially Kevin, began running towards the jock, her hair a mess and her clothes nearly ripped up beyond even being able to wear them. She sprinted fast, shouting, "Kevin! Are you okay!"

Kevin turned towards Nazz's direction, which was from the other end of the street. As soon as he saw her, he ran to her as well, "Nazz, baby, are you alright? You look hurt."

Nazz nodded and gave Kevin a hug, "I'm scared. What happened while I was sleeping? When did this happen? How did this happen?" She said and pushed him away, looking at all the other houses that were nothing more than concrete and furniture, "Where's everyone else? Are they alive?"

Kevin hugged her again, only to have her push him away, "Don't hug me in a time like this! We've got to make sure everyone is okay first." She said and walked towards the remains of Ed's house. She began going through the remains, looking for any signs of life to no avail, "Damn it, no one survived here!"

"Calm down, Nazz,"Kevin said as he finally caught up to her, "Maybe they are already awake and somewhere else. I mean, we were unconscious at the time the earthquake happened. Maybe they weren't."

Nazz sighed and began weeping, "You don't know that! They could be dead, for all you care, and all you would care about is me!"

"Sad teen drama. So overrated." A voice from the street said calmly.

Kevin and Nazz looked at the same time to see Regal, standing firmly, red dot and his arms crossed against his chest, "Don't act surprised to see me. You should've seen me coming. I will kill you since you survived last time!"

"What the hell are you talking about, man?... Thing?" Kevin said, covering Nazz from the silver super-being, "I don't know what you are, but from all the nonsense that Ed says you sound pretty damn bad!"

Regal put his arms down and walked up to them, "Don't give me this crap. You were with the group of kids I blew away earlier, remember? I attacked the stupid one?"

"You hurt Ed! You evil monster!" Nazz said, pushing Kevin aside.

Regal put his hand to his face and shook his head, "Amnesia. Should have saw this coming."

Kevin picked up a piece of wood from the remains and prepared to protect him and Nazz, "I ain't got no amnesia, freak. I never seen you before!"

Looking at them closely, Regal began realizing that that was the first time he had seen the two before as well, "So... I never blew you guys away? But I blew your friends away?"

Nazz and Kevin nodded slowly.

"Ah, screw it. I wasted precious time on you two!" He said and prepared to air blast them like he did before, but then calmed down, "Ya know what? I'm going to give you guys a break, a head start, a new beginning. I'll give you a minute to run out of this neighborhood and never come back, not even for your friends... Cause if you do, then I will kill you."

Kevin and Nazz both were shocked by the evil intentions of the otherworldly being and ran together, away from the thing that nearly killed them. As soon as the two were out of site, Regal flew up into the air, looking at the Silver Nova and then to the surrounding areas of the Peach Creek community.

As he looked towards the forest that was several miles outside of the community and then to the mountain in the far distance, he said to himself, "They don't stand a chance. I will get that Ed-boy, and he will come with me. Or else they all pay." With that, he flew into the forest, ready to begin his search for the one he arrived in that world for in the first place.

**To be continued...**


	6. Battle for the Siblings

**Well, at least something finally happen. Stuff ensues...**

**P.S: Shout out to theinsanitymaster for being the first one to favorite my story. Thanks, man.**

* * *

><p>The lake that Eddy and Rolf arrived at was even bigger up close. It stretched out for miles, looking like a miniature ocean in the forest. Rolf sat down on the small beach that was with it and took off his pack, leading his two farm animals, Victor the goat and Wilfred the pig, into the water for some washing and relaxation.<p>

Eddy took off his shoes and dove right in, smiling as he felt the blood from his wounds slowly be cleansed off by the pure water, "Man, this feels great. Don't you think so, Rolf?"

Rolf nodded while washing dirt from Victor, "Rolf agrees. However, I have seen better fishing holes for I am the son of a shepherd."

Eddy swam back to the beach and sat down on the sand, watching as Rolf removed dirt from Wilfred, finishing on Victor. The goat clamped over to Eddy and stared him in the eyes for a few moments, "What are you staring at, goat breath?"

Rolf turned around and saw Victor viciously chasing Eddy around the beach, with Eddy running at full speed and screaming repeatedly, "Victor!" Rolf shouted. The animal turned towards it's owner and lay down, ignoring Eddy. Eddy slowed down and walked over to Rolf, wiping sweat off of his forehead, "Young ed-boy, it's not wise to taunt Rolf's animals."

Eddy shook his head, "Yeah, whatever. I'm ready to leave whenever you are." He said, putting back on his shoes and wiping the sand off his clothes.

"What a coincidence, for Rolf is finished with Wilfred's cleaning! We will leave at once." He said, putting back on his pack and getting his animals attention. Together, the two humans and two animals began trekking back to the clearing from before, turning onto the path that they ignored. It was the same level as the path that led into the forest, but began going steeply uphill, with flat rocks embedded in the dirt to help it's travelers. Rolf tied a thick rope to Victor's legs and dragged him up, ignoring the rocks and successfully reaching the top before Eddy, who was dragging Wilfred up. After nearly fifteen minutes, the two were at the top and began walking downhill again, already tired and wishing they had stayed at the lake.

As they reached the end of the path, they found themselves out of that portion of the forest. They came across a long, 12 meter bridge made out of wood that looked sturdy enough to carry their weight, especially Victor's and Wilfred's. The ground below the bridge was a few meters down and filled with sharp rocks, appearing to be the remains of a river before something clogged it up. Rolf looked towards the other side of the bridge and saw a sign, "Quickly, short-temper Ed-boy, we must cross this vermin at once!"

Eddy was about to reply before he saw Rolf and his animals stampede down the bridge, "Vermin?" Eddy said to himself, running behind them. After the group had reached the end of the bridge, they reached the sign which was in front of a single path. The sign was wooden, attached to two metal poles by chains and the message on it was written in paint.

"Path ahead is rigid and aplenty with animals. Be aware of your surroundings. We are not accounted for any deaths." Eddy said aloud, shocked by the last part.

Rolf shrugged his shoulders and began down the path. Eddy, shaking at the thought of dying at the paws of natural animals, followed behind, looking around him for anything that looked to be even the slightest bit dangerous.

The trip for Double D and Sarah wasn't faring any better. The pair had been walking for hours, watching as the day turned to night once again and they were lost in an unexplored forest that they didn't know what inhabited it. Edd, looking for sticks in the moonlight that was just barely accessible, found a large log that he pulled to the side of a large group of trees. Taking a seat, he began to try to make fire out of the sticks he had found, only to break most of them.

"Double D, get some rest. I'll handle this." Sarah said, to Double D's approval. Taking a seat beside her friend, she took two sticks and began to rub them, eventually making sparks and a flame. Putting the flame on top of the other sticks, she watched as the flame grew bigger and become an actual fire.

Edd was surprised by her fast success, "Well, bravo. Now, we should probably find something to eat. We can't do anything without food."

"Do we... Have to hunt animals?" Sarah said with a shaky voice.

Double D nodded slowly, "I'm afraid we do, unless we can find a berry bush that hasn't been touched by animals or isn't dead or isn't poison or-"

Sarah put her hand to Double D's mouth, "I get it. Let's go find a big animal then!" She said and ran off into the woods. Double D jumped to his feet and ran after her, afraid of what might come of her getting even more lost.

However, he was quick to find her. She was standing beside a dead squirrel that looked like it had been dead for weeks, "Well, looks like something already did the job for us."

Double D pushed Sarah away before she could pick up the deceased animal, "We can't eat that! It looks as if it was killed a long time ago. You don't know what might be on it."

Sarah sighed and nodded turning around towards their camp, "I guess we would have better luck with some berry bushes then."

"Exactly. Let's work together to find some," Edd said, beginning down the path they were on earlier, except he went past the camp fire this time. Sarah, losing track of Double D, went the opposite direction of the campfire, wanting to be of some help.

Edd, after searching for only minutes, found a small shrub with raspberries on it. Looking around for a basket of some sort to carry it in, he saw a large figure approach him in the dark. Preparing to run, he watched as the figure grew larger, it's foot steps pounding against the ground.

"Regal, is that you!" Double D shouted, scared that he might be confronted by the cul-de-sac's arch nemesis. However, he began to hear it's growl, and figured out it was a black bear, who wanted to scare Double D away for the raspberries.

The bear succeeded, with Edd running back to the campfire with panic in his voice, "We have to be careful. There's a black bear where I found a bush of raspberries," He said as he noticed Sarah was already back with a leaf full of Pomegranates, "Well, you got enough for both of us, so we're okay."

Sarah smiled as she picked one up and threw it at the ground. It opened slight, and she picked it up to open it the rest of the way, "I love pomegranates. Even if their hard to eat sometimes."

"I didn't even know we had pomegranates around here," Double D said as he opened up his own. Looking at the moon, he became distracted and slightly worried by a flash in the sky that was next to the moon, remembering that they must keep a look-out for Regal, "Sarah, you need to go to sleep sometime soon. I'll keep watch."

Sarah looked up from her fruit, her mouth covered in juice, "Keep watch for what?"

Double D was about to say Regal, but realized that that would scare Sarah to death, thinking that they could die right in the middle of the night, "Well, the animals, of course. I can handle them, don't you worry."

Sarah smiled and lay down on the log, falling asleep fast. Double D smiled at how much she looked up to him. As he was getting ready to finish his fruit, he heard a voice speak from behind him.

"How cute. You think you stand a chance against me." Regal's voice spoke. Double D jumped up, looking and just barely seeing the being walk out from the shadows of the night, his dot red with rage.

Double D grabbed a pomegranate and threw it at his enemy, only to miss and watch the fruit fly into the dark of the forest, "You stay away from us, you hear? You're not going to hurt Ed's sister!"

Regal's dot turned to yellow as Double D covered his mouth in shock of what he just announced, "Edward Iron's sister, eh? Thanks for the info. Now I can kill you and lure the one I need into sight."

Just as Regal began reaching for Sarah, Double leaped at him, forcing him to the ground. Getting back to his feet, he ran and awoke Sarah, who sat up in shock of seeing Regal standing before them, "Double D, do something!"

Double D jumped in front of Sarah, prepared to risk his life to save her, "I won't let you touch her! I promised myself that she would be safe for Ed!" Edd shouted at Regal, barely afraid of him anymore.

Regal's dot turned to red again, "Fool. Do you not fear death?"

Double D thought about dying at the hands of Regal in front of Sarah, "The world's gone because of you. If I die, what the hell would I miss?"

Regal's dot turned to purple, "You are smart, but not as brilliant as Edward. I will kill you if it means I will fulfill my job." His dot automatically turned back to red as he dash forward toward Edd, who was on the other side of the campfire than Regal.

Just before Regal reached them, Double D grabbed a big stick and lit it on fire. Dodging out of the way of Regal with Sarah, he threw the stick onto a tree, lighting it on fire. Regal, watching as the forest began to burn down, didn't see Double D and Sarah run away through the smoke. Flying into the air and crash back down in front of the pair, Regal slowly made his way to them, fire engulfing the forest around them.

"Don't try to run away. You've just ensured your deaths." Regal said, preparing his hand for an explosion of some sort. Double D grabbed Sarah and backed up slightly, looking at Regal's dot as it turned to black. Suddenly, the villain threw his hands in front of him, forcing a blow to Sarah and Edd and sending them flying all the way back to the field that they met in. Landing towards the middle, they slowly got up, watching as Regal flew into the air and landed in front of them.

"You don't stand a chance." Regal said as fire began to burn the grass as well. By the time the whole field was lit up, the three were surrounded by fire.

Double D lunged at Regal, who merely got out of the way. Double D flew past him and landed in another clearing. Looking back, he watched as his enemy reached for Sarah, who was sobbing that she was going to die.

Edd, angry inside, leaped back at Regal, knocking him into the fire around them. Sarah backed away, watching as Double D got on top of the fallen Regal and began repeatedly pounding his fists into it's head and chest.

"Get the hell off me!" Regal shouted, throwing Double D at Sarah. The two lay on the ground as Regal slowly approached them, his body turning red from the fire, "You two are going to die right now. I'm going to make sure that you two will die as slowly and brutally as possible!" He finished, not even realizing that he was gradually being engulfed by the flames themselves. Shrieking as he felt himself burn, Double D grabbed Sarah and ran away, knowing that they had just nearly escaped death.

Falling to the ground with his armor slowly burning away and falling off, Regal looked at the two who had beaten him and laughed, for they had made him as mad as can be.

Ed and Jimmy, travelling up the mountain that they had spotted that morning, were close to the top. They smiled as their efforts of teamwork were paying off. They were sweating buckets, and Jimmy sat down on the path that they were travelling on, taking a break and looking at how far they had come. Watching the moon travel across the sky and the Silver Nova sit in it's place, he began to notice something red coming from the forest that was below the mountain range. Looking, he saw the flames that were started by Double D and watched as something darted into the sky with a white light, disappearing as it flew higher. Finally, it was completely gone, the fire ranging on without it.

"Ed, come look!" Jimmy shouted. Ed walked over to Jimmy and looked out at the forest, "The forest it burning down!"

Ed's lips began trembling slowly, "Someone was attacked by Regal. I just know it."

Jimmy looked up at his leader, "What? How do you know?"

"It's obvious. How could that start on it's own when barely any animals could be around to start it in the first place? If someone were to meet up with Regal, then that being would have done whatever he could to kill someone," Ed said, grabbing Jimmy's hand and pulling him to his feet, "We must keep going."

"But we can see Peach Creek from here! We know where to go." Jimmy said as he was being pulled by Ed, who was continuing up the path of the rocky, gray mountain that was completely absent of grass.

Ed looked at Jimmy, "Regal is coming after me. He's looking at what my friends have to say about me. I know that we're going to have to fight him sooner or later. We don't want to think about that right now, so we need to just get to the peak of this mountain as soon as we can."

Jimmy nodded, taking one last look at the burning forest that could hold any one of their friends, and turned to the path that they were travelling on.

Regal would not stop.

To be continued...


	7. The Summoning Pt1

The dark, dense forest that Eddy and Rolf had entered was growing deeper and darker by the minute, with massive clearings and multiple paths branching off from theirs. Rolf knew the way to his Nana's, which was a short way from the Peach Creek community.

As the two sat down for the night in a small clearing, they built a fire and began to relax, feeling more at home than ever. Rolf pulled over two logs and sat down on one of them, passing Eddy and candied beet, to which he declined, "So, Rolfy boy, how much longer until we reach this place of yours?"

Rolf began to bite into the candied beet, taking his time chewing the massive treat, "Rolf's Nana's home is quite a ways from here. But we should be able to get there tomorrow as long as we pick up the pace like Rolf's papa's hair fleas, ya ya."

Eddy ignored the comment, not wanting to think about some old man with fleas crawling around on him. After looking at the campfire in silence for a while, he looked back up at Rolf, who had tied Victor and Wilfred to two trees for the night. Laying down, he asked, "Rolf, are we going to get out of here alive?"

With a smile and a mouth covered in beet juice, he nodded, "Rolf thinks yes. There's no doubt that the power of the silver man with three eyes is strong, but as long as we're together, we're stronger."

Eddy was slightly inspired by Rolf's assurance, but confused by the fact that Rolf think's Regal has three eyes. Shaking his head, he positioned his body on the log, preparing for one hell of a day.

"Do you think we lost him?" Sarah asked as her and Edd ran at breakneck speed through the blazing forest. They had been maneuvering around the fires for hours, not sure if they were even close to escaping.

Double D slowed to a stop and looked at Sarah, "I'm pretty sure we have. We've been running for what seems like 3 miles, and if his speed is around 10 mph, then we should-"

Sarah tugged on his shirt, urging to move forward, "Let's not think about it. Let's just get out of here." Double D nodded in agreement as they continued. After another half hour, Sarah spotted what looked like the remains of the neighborhood, "There! The neighborhood!"

Finally, they exited the blazing forest, not even thinking about heading back in for whatever reason. The street was lit up by the stars and the moon shining down on the purple circles that were covering the streets. Making their way to the remains of Ed's house they began pondering where the others could be until they saw two figures moving in the distance.

"Oh boy, prepare for anything here, Sarah." Double D said, crouching down at the sight of the shadows, which began to move closer.

Sarah sighed, "Oh, calm down, Double D. It's just Kevin and... I think that's Nazz. Yep, that's her." She said as the figures finally came into the moonlight, showing the scars and bloodstains from what had happened a few days prior.

As he noticed that it wasn't Regal, Double D got up and smiled at the sight of yet another pair of friends that were still alive and well, "Good to see you, Kevin and Nazz. You guys okay?"

Kevin pushed Double D out of the way as he looked at the fire coming from their familiar forest, "Screw the being nice thing, what the hell happened to the forest? That's the reason why we came over here in the first place; We didn't even see you there, Sarah."

"And Double D." Edd said, beginning to get sick of Kevin's attitude, which was pretty calm since the incident with Eddy's brother.

Nazz ran over to Double D and hugged him, forcing a blush onto his face, "I'm so glad you're okay, Double D. I thought you and the others were killed," She said, nearly on the verge of tears before she let go and looked at her friend, "... The others are alive, right?"

Double D sighed and shrugged, "I haven't a clue. I'm most certainly positive that they are, but I can't be one hundred percent positive. The blow from Regal was powerful enough to kill any one of us, but Sarah and I luckily survived somehow."

Kevin turned to Double D, "Who was with you when you guys were blown away?"

"Um, me... Eddy, Sarah, Ed, Jimmy. That's it." Edd said, feeling as if someone was missed out.

Kevin looked out at the neighborhood, "That means that Rolf and Johnny are still missing. We have to find them." He said, immediately running down the street. The others followed, knowing that not everyone could have survived such a terrible event.

The peak of the mountain had one of the most beautiful views of a city that Ed and Jimmy had ever witnessed. Sitting atop the surprisingly flat peak, Ed spread out his jacket as a blanket for Jimmy and the two watched as the city that had once been prosperous was slowly decaying with the disaster that had recently stricken. Buildings were crumbling, streets were sprayed with massive holes that dug deep into the ground, and the Silver Nova still hung over like the candles on a birthday cake. As the night went on, the fire still blazed, growing stronger and stronger with every minute that passed. However, Ed and Jimmy didn't pay attention, for it reminded them of their friends.

Jimmy lay down, looking at the stars, "What time do you think it is, Ed?"

"Don't you have a watch, Jimmy?" Ed asked, looking over.

Jimmy remembered that he did have a watch. He was just so busy with the apocalypse that he forgot about it. Looking at both his wrists, all he saw was the naked skin that was covered in bruises and blood.

"I... Lost it, I think." Jimmy said, slowly starting to sob.

Ed leaned over and hugged him, "It's okay, buckaroo. It's just a watch."

"It's not just a watch! It was my granddaddy's watch... He gave it to me before he was diagnosed with... cancer..." Jimmy said, screaming and crying at the thought that the closest item to him was gone, lost within the disaster called Peach Creek.

Ed hugged Jimmy, feeling the sobbing not just from his eyes, but from inside, too. Ed began feeling the same pain that Jimmy felt, and began putting the puzzle pieces together.

The entire time Jimmy had known Sarah, he had tried to act like her because he needed someone to be now that the person closest to him was dead. That's why he acted so differently than boys his age, and why everyone thought he was 'gay', Ed thought, frowning at the term. He disliked anyone who would do such a thing to someone just because of that trait. It made him sick, but he came back to reality, watching as Jimmy slowly began to fall asleep under the starry sky.

Ed, moving so Jimmy could get the entire blanket, scooted over towards the edge of the peak, frowning as he began noticing the fire, thinking thoughts that his best friends could be dead at the very moment. The Silver Nova, growing seemingly larger in the sky, made the feeling all the worse.

"Feels horrible, huh?" A familiar voice said from behind. Ed immediately jumped up and turned around, seeing the silver body and single dot of Regal.

"Get the hell out of here!" Ed shouted, preparing to attack his nemesis, "You'd better not have hurt any of my friends!"

Regal chuckled slight, shaking his head, "You're stupid friends are fine. I could care less about them, to be honest."

Ed, hearing that last sentence, realized that Regal still had the same intentions that he did before, "I'm not going with you and that's final! Do anything to me that you want, but I am staying here."

"I knew you would say that," Regal said, walking past Ed and floating into the air in front of the peak, staring up at the Silver Nova, "I know I can't do this on my own. You know this. Everyone knows it. That's why I enlisted in some manufactured help."

Ed looked at the Silver Nova, which began to turn to a lighter shade of purple until turning completely white. Suddenly, hundreds of clones that looked to be of Regal began falling down, head first, to the ground, their red dots glowing so bright that they could be seen for miles. Ed took a closer look, noticing multiple lights coming from each clone. The difference was that the clones had three dots instead of one, like Regal, "You sending an army to attack a bunch of kids just because I won't go with you and your stupid race?"

The silver being dashed at Ed, grabbing his neck and holding him into the air, his dot turning black, "Don't call my race stupid or I'll kill you. You caused this to happen, and don't say that you didn't because it's obvious that you did."

Ed took his knee and rammed it into Regal's chest, forcing the being back and giving Ed and chance to wake Jimmy up. Regal began floating in the air, watching as the clones began rising onto their feet and spreading out. Jimmy finally woke up, but began shrieking at the sight of the villain.

"You sick bastard." Ed said as the sun came up.

That day would be the worst to come.

As light flowed through the cracks in the leaves, Eddy slowly awoke, watching as Rolf continued to sleep calmly. The Ed-boy jumped up and ran to his partner's back-pack, looking at what he could eat. Instead, he found a map that had random destinations written in red marker. Eddy was about to shove it back in before he noticed the words "NANA'S HUT, YES?" written in the upper left corner. Looking at the lines around that area, Eddy quickly realized that they were extremely close to their destination. Jumping up, he ran to Rolf, waking up the farm boy. After hearing the news, he got up, fed Victor and Wilfred some berries from a nearby bush, and put on his pack, ready to begin that day. That horrible, bloody day.

To be continued...


	8. The Summoning Pt2

"You don't seem to understand that I can destroy you in a matter of seconds at any point in time that I want." Regal said, floating in the air by the rock and watching Ed, who was holding a frightened Jimmy. The clones continued to fall down, as if they were filled with stones, and their three eyes all glared brightly, even in the bright summer sun.

Ed stared at the being, wanting to destroy him and fix everything, "I do understand. That's why I try to stay away from you as much as I can."

Regal laughed, turning around to watch the last of the clones fall down. The entire community was barely visible through the army of deadly clones of Regal, "Ah, how I love it when someone tries to be brave when they get themselves killed in the end."

Ed dropped Jimmy and leaped at Regal, missing him and diving off the edge of the cliff. Watching as he plummeted to the ground, Regal quickly grabbed his ankle and held him up, letting the blood rush to his head, "Go ahead. Drop me. See if I care."

"I don't think you would, but what about that little friend of yours?" Regal said, loosening his grip as if he really was going to let Ed fall to his death miles below.

Realizing that Jimmy was witnessing all of this, Ed realized that he was in the position where one or both of them could die. Looking up at Regal, he saw that his dot had gone to yellow, which he was pretty sure meant happy. Regal was happy that he was about to win the battle, "You haven't won, Regal." Ed shouted, quickly sitting up with all his strength and punching Regal in the face, getting out of his enemy's grip and stepping onto his head. With one quick boost of force, he leaped into the air, barely grasping the ledge of the cliff, "Jimmy! Grab my hand!" He shouted as Jimmy ran over.

Just as Ed was about to be pulled up, Regal landed behind the little Jimmy and grabbed him by the arm, sending the child into a major stage of panic, "Ed, I've given you enough warnings. If you won't join me, than someone else has to." He said, looking down at Jimmy, who was sobbing his eyes out.

"Let go of him!" Ed shouted through a red face of rage, tears about break out down his cheeks.

Regal shook his head and walked over to Ed, still holding Jimmy hostage, "I've given you enough warnings, Ed. Someone who doesn't join me doesn't live anymore." He said, stamping the bottom of his hard, silver foot into Ed's face, sending him crashing to the forest at the foot of the mountain miles below.

"Ed!" Jimmy screamed. Regal looked over and covered Jimmy's mouth with his hand, sending the child unconscious and completely unresponsive. Laughing hysterically at his triumph, Regal flew high into the air and blasted off towards the Silver Nova, where he planned to watch the world crumble under the attack of his clones.

The forest was beginning to become brighter and not as dense, which was a good sign to both Eddy and Rolf, "I know this place. This is where my Nana lives. Quickly, let's find her!" Rolf said, rushing through the plants and flowers that decorated the dirt path that they had found shortly after waking up that morning. Eddy was excited to finally rest after such a terribly tiring day before. Plus, he was beginning to think that he would starve to death.

After travelling for another mile or so, the two saw some sort of smoke coming from the bottom of the grassy, sunny hill that they had arrived at. Rolf smiled and jumped with joy, "We're here! Nana's hut!" He shouted and raced down the hill, much faster than Eddy had ever thought he could run.

Once the pair made it to the bottom, they saw a crude, wooden fence with a small hut and shed on the other side. They continued, hopping the fence without trouble, and rushed to the front door, knocking repeatedly out of excitement.

As they waited, they occasionally heard footsteps from the otherside of the metal door, which was aging terribly. The entire shack was made, approximately, seventy years prior, with the biggest clue being the wood, which looked like it could give in any moment. The shed seemed to be a clone of the shack, except smaller and looking at least a little more decent. There were windows on both buildings, with clean glass but no shutters, and a chimney that looked as if smoke hadn't blown out of it for years, maybe even decades.

The creaking footsteps from inside continued, making Rolf extremely nervous to see his Nana, who he hadn't seen since he was a little baby, around the age of one. Abruptly, the door flew open, with a short, wrinkled old woman in a black robe and a hood over her head. Her gray hair swayed on her forehead and she carried a bamboo cain, which she looked to cherish it deeply from her grip on it's handle. Her eyes were clear blue and staring at Rolf, who was on the brink of tears.

"Nana! Rolf has missed you so much!" Rolf said, hugging the old woman and crying into her sleeve. The woman looked at Eddy with a confused stare, making Eddy feel that they were at the wrong place.

The woman pushed Rolf up and stared at him, "Who are you, young boy?" She asked, her voice stuttering terribly. Her voice and looks made her look around her late 80s.

With a smile, Rolf laughed and hugged the woman again, "Oh, Nana! I am Rolf, your nephew! You're my favorite aunt, Nana. I wanted to make sure you were okay after what had happened."

The woman pushed Rolf up again and looked him in the eyes, leading Rolf to frown, "You... Are my Nana, right?" He asked. Eddy felt the same pain that Rolf had, of mistaking one person for another.

Suddenly, the woman smiled with happiness, "Oh, Rolf! It's you!" She said, hugging her nephew and crying with a big smile on her face. Eddy couldn't help but smile at the uniting of two long-lost relatives.

"Nana, have you been hurt since the disaster?" Rolf asked, her still hugging. Yet again, she pushed on Rolf, looking at him with more confusion than she had earlier.

"Disaster? What disaster?" She asked, her brown teeth showing.

Rolf turned to the sky and pointed towards the Silver Nova. Nana looked up and screamed like a hag, turning around and slowly walking inside. Rolf signaled for Eddy to follow them inside.

The two made their way to a small couch, where they sat with a cup of water and bread. The entire place was extremely run down, with barely any food or furniture and no entertainment value whatsoever. It saddened Rolf to see his aunt in such terrible health.

Nana slowly made her way to a wooden rocking chair across from the teens and sat down, rocking back and forth and looking at Rolf, waiting for more information on the disaster.

Rolf picked up the hint and cleared his throat, "A few days ago, a man named 'Regal', as my friend calls him, came through my rural community and destroyed everything. He came out of that large pig mouth in the sky."

Nana looked at him, "Why, such a nice thing."

Eddy and Rolf looked at each other in confusion and then looked back at Nana, who had passed out into a deep sleep. Rolf and Eddy slowly got up without a noise and went outside, letting her sleep. Stepping onto the porch, they sat on the two steps in the front and looked into the forest not too far in front of the house. The grass was dead in the yard with gravel taking up a large portion of it. It looked to Eddy like a project that was abandoned.

"Rolf is scared, young Ed-boy. Nana... Oh, Nana..." He said, tears swelling up in his eyes. Putting his arm to his nose to keep himself from bursting into tears, he slowly calmed down, his eyes still watery. Eddy put his arm around his friend in reassurance.

"Everything will be okay, Rolfy-boy." Eddy said. Rolf looked at Eddy, noting the drastic change in heart the young, immature adolescent had made over the years. Smiling, they sighed at the idea of everything returning to normal.

The moment was interrupted by a sudden noise coming from the forest, like a cracking of a branch and footsteps in the grass and leaves. The two stood up, looking into the forest, "Rolf, why do I see dots in there?"

"I dunno, caring Ed-boy. Who knows." Rolf said. Before sitting down, the immediate sound of a tree falling caught his attention, forcing him back up. Looking into the forest, the two saw dozens of red dots, coming gradually closer and glaring at them, even in the bright sun.

Then Eddy realized something.

"Wait... Regal had... dots... like those..." He said in a tone that ensured that he was nervous and panicked. They were discovered and in serious trouble.

Rolf turned to the house, seeing his Nana continue to slumber. Turning back to the dots, which had revealed their bodies. It was an army of Regal clones, with the silver body and three red dots. They were ready to attack.

As they exited the forest, Eddy leaped off the front steps and sprinted to the shed, ramming his body into the door. It was locked, "Rolf, where's the key to the shed?" Eddy shouted, watching as Rolf began to become surrounded by the clones.

"The what?" Rolf asked, as if nothing was about to happen.

"Where's the key to the goddamn shed!" Eddy screamed, watching as the clones walked up to Rolf. A blank look on his face, Rolf backed up into the house, not responding to Eddy.

Eddy, cursing loudly, ran around the shed to the single window that was built into the back. Breaking it with his fist, he winced at the glass shards that stuck into his skin and the blood that leaked out from his fists. Quickly climbing in, he landed on the ground, unlocking the door from the inside and picking up a steel shovel and metal rake, both pretty large inside. With those in his arms, he raced back towards the house as the clones continued to pile in. Looking at the front door, he stared at Rolf, who had ripped off his shirt and begun beating the clones in the face with his fists.

"Damn, he'll do anything for her." Eddy said, running up to the cheap, plastic railing. Climbing over with ease, he tossed Rolf the rake and leaped back into the yard, slashing and stabbing the enemies with the point of his shovel, which was covered in blood in a matter of seconds.

Rolf, grasping the handle of the rake in his hands, began pounding the massive line of clones back, off the porch and into the yard. Turning to Eddy while digging the points of his weapon into the enemies' bodies, he shouted, "Eddy! Shut the door and lock it!"

Without even thinking about it, Eddy leaped onto the porch and shut the door, searching around the handle for some sort of lock, but none could be found, "Damn it." He said to himself, turning to a rocking chair that he saw on the side of the shack. Jumping over the railing, he grabbed the legs and ran back onto the porch, beating a clone with the chair right before it entered the house. Setting it down in front of the door, he turned around and catapulted himself off the porch and into the crowd of clones, repeatedly stabbing and slicing at the foes, as was Rolf, who was sweating from the hard work, his muscles bulging in his chest and arms.

"Rolf, you okay?" Eddy said, backing out of the crowd and seeing Rolf, who's face was red with sweat and stress.

"Rolf is good. Worry about yourself, brave Ed-boy." Rolf said more calmly, continuing to hack at the oncoming clones. The amount of how many there were seemed to grow larger and larger, with near-endless amount of them in Eddy's mind.

The day quickly turned to afternoon, with no sign of the enemies ever retreating. Rolf, worried that they might have gotten to his Nana, kept looking back inside to make sure she was okay. She was still sleeping, not even waking up a little to acknowledge that she was being protected by her nephew and his friend.

The afternoon dragged on, with Eddy leading them over to the shed so he could fight while looking for a new weapon since the shovel's edge was losing it's incisiveness. Nothing could be found except for an empty shotgun, which was too heavy for Eddy to fight with. Suddenly, the smell of some sort of smoke began to fill his nostrils, making him look around in curiosity. The clones didn't seem to be wanting to give up anytime soon, so he made his way back over to Rolf, who looked as if he was about ready to give in. The bodies of the clones were scattered all across the yard, some hanging from the railing, and the chair blocking the door completely untouched.

"Rolf, you smell anything weird?" Eddy asked, pushing Rolf out of the way to let him rest. The clones were easy for Eddy, but were beginning to worry him because of how many there were, which was unknown.

Rolf sniffed the air, his eyes signaling that he did, "Rolf does indeed smell... It's like... Something burning..." He said, following the scent to the side of the house. Looking at the forest, he shrieked as the blazing wildfire that devoured the rest of the forest was coming for them.

Eddy made his way over to Rolf as the fire rapidly got closer, eating all the trees that were in the forest and in the yard as well. Soon the entire place was a battlefield of dead bodies, smoke, and a uncertain future.

"Eddy, where's my Nana!" Rolf shouted in terror, looking around desperately.

"In the house, remember?" Eddy said, trying to figure out where the clones were. Finally, the smoke cleared up slightly and Eddy spotted them, trying to get into the house. Some were half on fire, running blindly into the forest.

Rolf leaped to the front porch and began pounding at the clones, ordering Eddy to guard the front porch while he went inside to check up on his aunt. Removing the chair and throwing it into the army of clones, he began attempting to open the front door to no avail.

"Son of a bitch! Open up!" Rolf cried, watching as his Nana continued sleeping, still not aware of what was occurring at the moment.

"Rolf!" A voice shouted from somewhere in the forest. Rolf turned around, taking the manly voice into account as he thought he had heard it somewhere, "Rolf! Are you in there, son?" The voice called again.

With a trembling look on his face, he watched as a dark figure began to emerge from the blazing woods, wearing a suit and sunglasses and carrying a shotgun. As he walked onto the yard, he began shooting rapidly at the clones, who didn't pay attention to the bullets or the fire.

"F-Father!" Rolf cried, running off the porch and into his father's arms. Looking up at him, he backed up, saddened by the non-farmer appearance of who he thought was a shepherd.

"Son, we have to get out of here. This fire won't stop, no matter what." The man said, holding Rolf's arm. Eddy continued fighting, trying his best to not breath in the fumes. The sky was barely even visible at this point, being blocked out by the roaring flames.

Rolf jumped out of his father's grip and looked at the hut, "Rolf understands! We must save Nana first, though." Rolf said, preparing to run back at the hut. His father grabbed his arm again and held him back.

Rolf's father shook his head, dropping his shotgun and taking his sunglasses off, "Rolf... We can't. It's her time."

Bursting into tears, Rolf pulled and twisted, trying to break his father's steel grip. Looking at the house, he cried and screamed, "No! NANA! WAKE UP!" He cried, to no response.

Eddy finally rolled out of the way of the army, making his way to Rolf and his father, "Rolf! We have to get going! We're going to be burned alive if we stay here any longer."

Rolf continued to cry for his aunt before watching as a flame from a nearby tree touched the hut, quickly setting the shack aflame, Nana still inside and asleep. Rolf burst into tears, crying and shrieking, eventually falling to his knees, his head in his hands and crying the most tears anyone had ever seen him shed before.

Rolf's dad put his hand on his son's shoulder, crouching down and putting his son's head onto his shoulder, "Son... You have to move on. You knew this would happen eventually."

With tears still streaming down Rolf's face like a river, he slowly got up, taking one last look at his aunt's hut, and turned to the forest. Eddy looked at the rest of the clones, who were completely devoured by the blazes, not a single one surviving.

As his father got up, he put his arm around Rolf's shoulder and the two began walking through the forests, leaving their past behind and preparing to grow up. Eddy, realizing that things were getting progressively worse with the Regal incident, put his hand on his friend's shoulder, the three walking down the last path in the woods that hadn't been destroyed by the devastating fire that Double D began.

To Rolf, the battle had just begun.

To be continued...


	9. Lost Friends and Random Smiles

**Boy, did I go through a lot of pointless trouble to get this up! Anyway, hope you enjoy it.**

**I guess I should mention that I do not own Ed, Edd n Eddy. I didn't do it in the last eight chapters, so I'll go ahead and say it.**

**Also, I uploaded three today because the two before were part of a duo and this one... I just wanted to get this up after all the trouble I went through to get it onto the site like it's supposed to be.**

* * *

><p>After deciding that the best thing to do was to find Johnny first since they figured Rolf could take care if himself, Kevin, Double D, Sarah, and Nazz left the neighborhood, escaping just before the Regal clones stormed the area. Entering the area that Johnny lived in, which was on the edge of the neighborhood, Kevin ran ahead and began searching through the rubble of the house that his friend lived in. Nothing could be found except for Plank.<p>

"Drats!" Kevin said, continuing to look, "It looks like he left already."

Nazz walked up to Plank and picked him up, wiping the dust off of him. Plank was a piece of 2x4 wood that had two circles with dots inside of them for eyes and a big smile. He was Johnny's closest friend, and they all knew that Johnny leaving him behind meant something was going on.

"Kevin, this isn't right. Why would Johnny leave Plank behind?" Nazz asked, walking towards where her friend was. They began lifting up a massive rock that somehow made it's way onto the debris pile.

His head hanging low, Kevin turned to Nazz with a big frown, "I didn't want to think that something was going on." He said, turning his attention back to the rock. Double D and Sarah jumped in, helping roll the rock into the street. Once it finally budged, it moved on it's own, rolling down the street and hitting a fire hydrant that survived the disaster. What the rock was hiding was a chute that led deep into the ground. It was made of steel, and the only way of going down was sliding. The bottom of it wasn't even visible, with only darkness being seen by the four friends.

They looked at each other, a curious look on all of their faces, "So... Who's going down first?" Kevin asked, pointing to the chute. Double D backed up, afraid of heights. Nazz raised her hand and volunteered. Sitting down and sliding her feet into the chute, she eagerly slipped on down, sliding out of view of the others. The chute was just barely big enough for them to fit in, one at a time.

"Alright, Sarah. Your go." Kevin said. Sarah slowly stepped forward and slid into the chute, a scream of excitement echoing through the slide as she slid into the darkness.

Kevin looked up at Double D, who's legs were shaking madly, "Double Dweeb, you're up." Kevin said. Edd didn't move an inch. He felt paralyzed, his legs about to collapse under his nervous weight. Finally, Kevin sighed and slid down, a fearless look planted on his face. Double D sighed and looked down the chute. Listening for when one of them hit the ground, he began feeling scared when only silence was heard.

Nazz, still sliding when Kevin hopped in, had her eyes closed as the seemingly endless chute continued. All of a sudden, she felt her feet hit the bottom of the chute. Looking down, she found herself still in the chute, but the rest of it too small to fit through. Trying to fit herself into the small hole that was below her, she yelped when Sarah's feet dug right into her hair, sending Sarah into panic.

"What's wrong, Nazz?" Kevin asked as he felt his feet collide with Sarah's head. Looking down, he saw Nazz, who was trying to pull her feet out of the hole that she put them into.

She began screaming, hurting Sarah and Kevin's ears, "Kevin, help! I'm stuck!" She said. Kevin slid next to Sarah, propping her up on his shoulders. Bending down, he tried to pull Nazz's feet out, but they were lodged in too tight that the only way to get them out was to widen the hole altogether.

"Damn it, we're stuck." Kevin said, looking up at the barely visible light from the sky. The red tint was beginning to annoy him as he could barely use the sky as his own personal flashlight anymore.

Sarah began coughing madly, "We're also running out of air, I think."

Kevin widened his eyes in shock, "That can't be right!"

Nazz began coughing as well, "I think she's right..."

Looking back towards where they came from, he opened his mouth and yelled, "Double D!"

As soon as he finished, Edd's face appeared, a frown still on his face, "I can't come down, I'm sorry! I'm too scared to-"

"I don't care about that; Go get some rope long enough to pull us up!" Kevin shouted, the echoes hurting his and his stuck friends' ears.  
>Double D nodded and sprinted off, stopping as soon as he realized that he had no idea where to get rope in a post-apocalyptic setting. His friends could very well be doomed.<p>

* * *

><p>The fall to ground seemed like it would go on for eternity to Ed, who was still falling off the peak of the mountain because of an angry Regal. Finally hitting the ground, face first, he rolled down the short path leading to the mountain and stopped on a patch of grass in front of the forest. At least what remained of the forest.<br>Looking at the remains of the once massive woods, all he saw were the black leaves and dead trunks of the hundreds of trees that were burnt to the ground. Ed sat up, his face covered in blood from the impact to the ground, and stretched, extremely tired from the lack of sleep the previous night. The sun was high in the sky as the afternoon continued on. He then realized that he forgot about Jimmy and looked all around for him.

Until he remembered what happened.

"That thing... He's got Jimmy..." Ed said, beginning to weep at his failure as a guard for the small child, who was the youngest in the entire group of cul-de-sac kids. Standing up, he looked into the remains of the forest and saw buildings in the distance. Immediately after noticing them, he sprinted off, wanting to see his friends again.

* * *

><p>"But Nana was such a good..." Rolf trailed off, unable to finish his sentence as the forest fire in their area began to cool down. They had escaped the forest and been travelling on a river bank for nearly an hour. Rolf's dad, named Cardinal, and Eddy were forced to listen to Rolf's constant cries and confessions as he continued remembering the memories he had with his aunt.<p>

Eddy, who was trailing behind the two, sped up and caught up to his farm boy friend, putting his arm around his neck, "Don't worry, stretch. She's in a better place, so that's all that matters."

Rolf nodded, thinking about his Nana going up to heaven.

"Your short friend here is right, son. You needn't to remember her in pain, but you should always think that she is in a better place." Cardinal said as the group approached a dirt path that crossed over to the other side of the river via wooden bridge.

As the group turned, Rolf looked up at his dad, "I... I thought I was the son of a shepherd... Why... Did I think that?" He asked, thinking that the childhood he knew was crashing down in flames as things became worse by the minute.

Cardinal looked down at his son and stopped, the other two stopping with him. They stood in the middle of the bridge, the rushing river flowing smoothly underneath them as the red sky hung over them, reminding them that the battle was far from over.

"Son, I'm no shepherd. I'm not even close to it. I'm actually an agent for a group called the Extermination of Cannibalistic Mammals. I was called to New Zealand and ran into your mother, who turned out to be quite fond of me as I was of her. We married and had you as a child, but I was absent from your childhood for such a long time that you grew on your mother's lifestyle of farming..." Cardinal said, his heart sinking as he knew he had abandoned his one and only child for his entire childhood. Taking a deep breath, he continued, the water under them rushing roughly now, "...We both knew that you would eventually ask who your father was, and your mother couldn't bare to tell you that he was the exact opposite of who you wanted him to be..."

Rolf looked at his father with his beady eyes, awe struck by the information about his father that he never knew, "You're... A secret agent?"

Cardinal nodded, "We made up the story that I was a shepherd so that you thought I was related to you... I knew I couldn't be around you with that rumor floating around, so I left and returned to the States... Where I remained close to Peach Creek to keep an eye on you while you visited."

Eddy looked at Rolf, "Visited? That woman in your house isn't your mom?"

Rolf sighed, "No, young Ed-boy... It is my cousin."

Cardinal cleared his throat, telling the two teens to be quiet while he finished, "That thing in the sky is called a Silver Nova. I'm sure someone already told you. But there is more to it. Much, much more."

"Can we sit down, then? My legs are killing me." Eddy said to Cardinal's approval. They crossed the rest of the bridge and found a small patch of grass that was somehow untouched by the fire. Sitting down on it, they listened intently to what Rolf's father had to say about the situation at hand.

"Those clones that appeared out of the Nova were called Silver Clones, and they are based off the DNA of Regallis, who is the creator and ruler of the Silver Nova in it's entirety." Cardinal said, pointing up at the Silver Nova as it continued to grow larger. By now, it was twice the size it was when it first appeared.

Eddy looked at Cardinal with confusion, "Regallis? You mean Regal? Plus, Regal is the coordinator of the Nova, not ruler."

Cardinal sighed and shook his head, "I know. Regallis is the true form of the one you know as Regal. Regal is a mere symbol of Regallis, who rules over the Silver Nova from the depths of it. I would know, too, for I encountered him far before you were even born."

"What you say?" Rolf asked with confusion.

"When I was young, I lived in Genoa, Italy. I'm of Italian descent, for the record, so I was living there as a child. It was the beginning of summer when that same Silver Nova appeared in the sky over the city and worried everyone. Regal appeared and began attacking us, saying that he wanted the one who was 'as brilliant as the devil himself'. We didn't know what he meant until now." Cardinal said. Standing up, he pointed down the path that they were following. Eddy looked where he was pointing and saw the Peach Creek neighborhood, several miles away, still destroyed with only parts of the housing still remaining in place, but not for long,

"There! Everyone else should be there!"

"What do you mean? You know what he's after?" Rolf asked, standing up. The group walked down the path, fully rested and calmed down from the forest fire.

"That friend of yours, I believe is name is Edward Irons-"

"Yeah! Regal's after him because he's apparently smart!" Eddy said.

"There's more to it. He's not after Ed in particular, but after the person who made Ed that way." Cardinal said, walking down a steep hill.

"You mean Dr. Benson?" Eddy asked.

Cardinal nodded, "He's the man who is causing this to happen to us, young men."

* * *

><p>"Double Dweeb, get that goddamn rope!" Kevin shouted, the lack of air getting to his head, as well as Nazz's and Sarah's. After another half hour or more, they were still trapped, Nazz's legs going numb from the loss of blood circulation.<p>

"I can't find any rope!" Double D shouted back, the echo hurting the three teen's ears even worse now, "Let me try something else!"

"Oh, screw it... We're all doomed." Nazz said, weeping as she prepared to breath her last breath.

Double D heard her and felt terrible, "No you're not! I'm going to get you out whether you-" He was suddenly stopped by the sound of something opening at the bottom.

Nazz, hearing the same sound, felt her legs again and looked down as the small hole expanded, the three teens moving down once again, each of them sighing with relief. As they continued down, they reached the end and fell onto a king sized mattress, each of them laying there from exhaustion. Kevin looked up, seeing that they were in some sort of underground base. The walls were covered with computer screens and paintings. There were rugs on the floor and a refrigerator in the corner that was running off of a charged battery that was placed in the wall next to it, which was apparently powering everything.

"Where are we?" Kevin asked as Double D slid onto the mattress, accidentally landing on Sarah's back. She grunted and got up, pushing Double D onto the dirt floor.  
>Suddenly, the four kids noticed a chair in front of a keyboard set-up spin, revealing a short kid with tanned skin, a big, bald head, and a white shirt, blue jeans and toothy smile.<p>

They found Johnny.

**To be continued...**


	10. Remembrance is Key

**Hello, once again. The tenth chapter is below, but first I want to give a bit of insight on how I originally organized the story.**

**When I had the stories saved onto my Dropbox, I had three sagas: The Quest for Each Other, The Quest for the Creator, and the Quest for the World. I completely forgot to mention that in the beginning, but I guess now was as good a time as ever to release that tidbit of info to you. Since I decided to bring that up, I'll go ahead and say that the chapter below is the final chapter of the Quest for Each Other saga.**

**Don't care? I wouldn't blame you. Please enjoy.**

* * *

><p>As the four friends ran up to greet their bald buddy, he got up and moved away, screaming in some sort of fear, "No! Stay back!"<p>

The friends stopped and exclaimed confusion in both their voice and face expressions, "Johnny, what's the matter? We're your friends!" Double D calmly.

Johnny continued to back away from them, eventually getting stuck and surrounded in the corner, "Stay away from me! I don't want your stinkin' zombie germs!"

Nazz giggled as the other three groaned and sighed, "Baldy, we're not zombies. We're still your pals." Kevin said, holding out his hand to grab Johnny. The bald-headed friend smacked it away, still not believing them.

"Johnny, what makes you think that we're zombies?" Nazz asked.

"Well, we're in the apocalypse and I was down here and..." Johnny trailed off, "Wait, zombies can't talk!" He said and leaped at Kevin, throwing his arms around his waist and squeezing in a massive hug.

Looking around, the group of friends were still confused about where they were, "Johnny, could you please tell us what this lab is for? Did you make it yourself?" Double D asked.

Johnny laughed as Kevin pushed him to the ground and walked away, "I found this lab when me and Plank went diggin' for gold! I told Plank to take a break and..." He trailed off, bursting into tears, "Plank's a goner!"

"Dude, no he's not. I found him in your house's remains. He is perfectly fine." Nazz said, putting her arm around his shoulder. He smiled a bit and took a deep breath.

Sarah walked over to the main computer and sat down in the office chair that was parked in front of it. Looking at the screen, she saw that she was looking out of some sort of camera, "Melon head, what is with this computer?"

"Computer? I thought it was a TV, for crying out loud!" He shouted and rushed over to Sarah, pushing her aside and staring at the screen, "No wonder there were no commercials."

Kevin broke out laughing as Double D walked over and took a look at the keyboard, which had dirt all over them, "It looks to me like you used this computer once. What did you do?"

Johnny shrugged and walked away, "I just stared at the screen, thinking that Plank would show up but I saw nothing. I miss... Plank..."

The four kids groaned as Johnny walked off and began sulking. Double D walked over to him and they both sat down against a barren wall.

"Johnny, are you okay? Nazz already said that Plank is fine, so there's nothing to worry about!" Double D said, smiling in hopes of cheering his bald friend up.

"But I'm scared that Plank might be scared." Johnny replied.

Double D stared at him in shock, surprised by how much Johnny really did care for his wooden friend, "Well, what's say we go back above ground and get you and Plank back together! What do you say?"

Johnny smiled and stood up, "I'd... I'd like that. Thank you."

"Double D, come quick!" Sarah shouted from the computer. Edd ran over and looked at the screen, which displayed the words INPUT PASSWORD and a box for typing.

"Strange. There must be more to this computer than I thought. Johnny, do you know the password?" Double D asked, turning to his bald headed friend, who was still sniffling.

"I... I put it in once, but that was by luck..." Johnny said.

"Well, looks like this computers worth nothing." Kevin said.

"Why don't you press the dirt smudges that Johnny left?" Nazz suggested. Double D turned to her and smiled in agreement, pushing Sarah aside and looking at the dirt smudges. He noticed that some of the dirt smudges were bolder than the other, with the boldest being D and the faintest being H.

"I've got it! If Johnny's finger was covered in dirt at the beginning, that must mean that he lost a little dirt every time he pressed a key. So the faintest must be last!" Double D said, and began pressing the keys from boldest to last. When he was finished, he heard everyone behind him gasp. Looking up, he jumped when he saw what the password was in full.

DEATH.

Pressing the enter key, a page full of code appeared in front of them. None of it was understandable to any of the kids, with so many different symbols being used, "This was a complete waste of time. Where's the exit?" Kevin asked, looking around for a door.

"There is no exit. That's why I've been down here this entire time." Johnny said, kicking a rock on the ground.

"Oh, great! We're back where we were in that stupid tunnel!" Kevin said, hitting his head against one of the dirt walls.

Nazz nearly began crying at the stress that was affecting all of them, "Kevin, please stop!"

"Wait a minute!" Double D said, capturing everyone's attention, "This code here says door_open(x=false). So maybe if I..." Edd trailed off, editing the false to be true. Suddenly, a loud boom could be heard coming from one of the empty walls. The wall of dirt fell and a metal door was revealed. All five kids jumped with joy and sprinted at the handle before backing up and offering Double D to go first.

Opening the door, Edd saw that the inside was similar to that of an elevator. It was big enough to fit all of them at once, but it's panel for buttons showed age. Double D began to worry about whether or not the elevator's functionality was positive or it if would kill them. Only one way to find out.

"Alright, everyone come on in." Double D said and led everyone into the elevator. When everyone was in and the door was shut, he pressed the UP button and waited for results. After a minute or so, the elevator began to slowly inch upwards. Once they were at least eight inches above the lab's ground level, everyone flew to the floor immediately as the elevator rushed upwards, going dozens of miles per hour, not showing any signs of slowing down.

"At least we know it's working!" Double D said, attempting to get up but being forced back down by gravity. Everyone else continued to scream and try to stand up to no avail. Finally, the elevator slowed down slightly, just enough so the kids could stand up. Looking around, they noticed the walls of the elevator car were made of shiny glass that looked as if it had never been touched once.

Nazz walked up to one of the walls and wiped her finger along it, looking at any mark it might have left on her skin. Her finger looked exactly the same as it had before, "This elevator seems like it had never been used before. That's kind of weird."

Kevin was about to reply until daylight met the five children's eyes, everyone cheering as they returned to the surface. However, their smiles saddened as they watched the ground below them zoom out of sight.

The elevator had gone through the ground and straight into the air, flying nearly a mile high before crashing down into the Earth, the glass shattering everywhere.

* * *

><p>As the remains of the neighborhood finally came into view, Rolf and Eddy jumped with joy and ran ahead, prompting Cardinal to run after them, sprinting through the debris that had blown throughout in the wind earlier that day. The three continued running until they stopped at some sort of mound covered in glass, "What happened here?" Cardinal asked, shocked. He spotted a few blood drops and knew someone was underneath the mound.<p>

"I don't wanna know." Eddy gulped. He got on his knees and began digging rapidly, cutting his hands on random glass shards found throughout the mess. Finally, he saw an arm sticking out, covered in scratches and blood. The skin tone looked strangely familiar.

Cardinal gasped, "There are people in there!" He shouted and began digging with Eddy. Rolf joined in immediately and they were able to dig out Sarah, who was unconscious.

"We found 'em, Rolf!" Eddy shouted in excitement and continued to dig. Eventually the rest of the cul-de-sac kids were unearthed yet asleep from the crash, each one of them terribly wounded, "Thank god we finally found them. Now we can band together and do something about that Regal guy!"

Rolf shook his head, "Not quite, little Ed-boy. Where is thin head Ed-boy and Fluffy?"

"Fluffy? Ya mean Jimmy?" Eddy said, ready to laugh before he realized Rolf was correct. Ed and Jimmy were still absent, "Damn it, we're still missing two of 'em. That's just great!"

Cardinal put his hand on Eddy's shoulder and sat him down on the soil, "Calm down, Eddy. We'll find all of them soon, but we need to wait for the ones we have found to wake up before we take off."

Eddy nodded, "We... We should build a campfire then."

Cardinal smiled, kneeling on his right knee and setting his left hand on his left knee, "Now you're talking."

* * *

><p><p>

Hours passed and the moon finally reached it's place at the top of the sky. Midnight was upon them, and the kids still hadn't woken up from their mysterious accident. Every minute Eddy begins to get thoughts that they're not going to wake up.

"They're... Goners..." Eddy said, almost breaking out into a cry.

Cardinal, finally finishing the fire in front of them, sat down beside Eddy and Rolf, who were seated on a large log, and put his arm around Eddy, "Don't think things like that. It'll only screw with your head. Everyone's getting out of here alive, whether you like it or not."

Rolf stared at his father, still shocked by how far off he was. He had never actually seen his father when he was finally attending school, so he barely had any actual memories. Smiling, he sighed at the thought that he was the son of one the coolest people on the planet. To him, at least.

The three stared at the fire, drawn in by the flames and fumes that rose into the night sky. They felt at peace for once, not worrying about Regal anymore, but worrying about the state of the others. Eddy looked up at around one in the morning and saw Johnny's massive head move slightly. Finally, he opened his eyes and sat up slowly, bloody bruises and scars covered his body. Looking over, he smiled at the sight of Eddy and Rolf.

"You guys... Saved us..." Johnny said and slowly stood up, only to fall down on his face. Eddy jumped up and helped Johnny over to the log, sitting him down where he originally sat and took his new seat on the nearby ground.

"So you must be Johnny." Cardinal said. Johnny looked up at Cardinal, acknowledging his short black hair and his dark blue suit. A pair of black sunglasses hung off his collar.

"Who are you?"

"I am Rolf's father, Cardinal Wetzel. Please to meet you." Cardinal said and held out his hand to shake Johnny's, but the bald headed teen turned away instead towards Rolf.

"Your last name is Wetzel!" Johnny shouted excitedly.

Rolf nodded and looked at the other kids, who's eyes immediately jolted open at the same time at the sound of Johnny's loud voice. They all slowly sat up and looked at the four that were already awake.

Double D, unable to stand up because of a massive glass shard stabbed into his right leg, crawled over to Eddy and smiled, "You are... A great friend..." He said and lay back down, relaxing. Eddy smiled and put his hand on Edd's back, knowing that all had gone okay for once.

* * *

><p><p>

The next morning, after a relaxing sleep, the group of eight were well rested except for Cardinal, who spent the night removing the glass shards and bandaging the victims of the elevator crash's wounds. With every person he learned more about the story and eventually understood completely what happened.

"It must have been some sort of machine underneath the elevator that launched you so high." He said as the moon disappeared from sight and sun rose into view. It was around eight in the morning, and everyone was prepared to get a move on.

Every teen was bandaged up and feeling okay for the time being, but people began to notice that Ed and Jimmy were still nowhere to be seen. Sarah began sobbing because she thought that the two were dead.

"Somebody needs to go into that forest and find them!" Eddy shouted to a shout of approval from the others.

Cardinal shook his head, "Not the best idea. How do you know he's in the forest? He could be anywhere. Hell, he could be in another state with the length of his absence. The best thing to do is to not worry about it and carry on. We'll find him eventually, so you don't need to worry."

The kids sighed and nodded, following their new leader down the street and turning towards the part of the neighborhood where the Eds lived. As they continued straight, not bothering to even think about turning to go down the lane, they saw a tall figure in the distance, battered and bruised and covered in blood and scars.

It was Ed.

The kids immediately sprinted down the street towards head, shouting in joy. Sarah began crying tears of happiness until she noticed that Jimmy wasn't anywhere. She was apparently the only one to notice. Everyone else was asking Ed where he was.

"Come on, Lumpy; Where were you all this time!" Eddy shouted.

Ed lowered his head, causing confusion within the group.

"What's wrong, mono brow? You're alive, so that's all that matters!" Kevin said.

"Jimmy's gone." Ed muttered.

The whole group gasped as Cardinal arrived at the scene.

"What?" Cardinal asked, not hearing.

Ed looked up, his eyes bold with anger, "Jimmy is gone! That bastard Regal took him away and is going to..." He shouted and trailed off, noticing his little sister's eyes begin to water.

Cardinal knew what Ed was about to say and signaled for him to shut up, "I understand, Ed. Regallis is the kind of person who would do this sort of wicked deed."

"Regallis? You mean Regal, right?" Ed asked, his eyes still angered and straining from the lack of sleep.

Cardinal chuckled, "I've got a lot of explaining for you kids. I'll tell you while we go to our destination." He said and turned back towards the main road.

"Where's our destination?" Nazz asked.

"The Silver Nova, of course." Cardinal said. Everyone, shocked, nodded. Sarah didn't seem to want to work her way around going there; She wanted to get Jimmy back no matter what.

**To be continued...**


	11. Suburban Canyon

**Here I am, uploading the next chapter. The first chapter of "The Quest for the Creator" as well! Either way, I may decide to upload two parts a day soon since there are multiple two-part chapters coming up. Be prepared!**

**Or not. Doesn't really matter and, uh... Oh, the story is below. Please excuse my mumbling.**

* * *

><p>Night time came fast for the Cul-de-sac heroes. They were just entering the main town of the Peach Creek community, entitled "Arms Town", in search of the man named Dr. Benson, who had caused the disaster that had befallen the world in the first place.<p>

They spent the day stocking up on supplies and items that were left behind by the shops. The three Eds and Cardinal raided the nearest Supermarket of the food inside while the other kids searched for any survivors.

As the day drew to a close, the Eds and Cardinal returned to their campsite on a soccer field nearby, where everyone were preparing for bed. They jumped up at the sight of wagons of food and other assorted items in multiple wagons.

"Alright, help yourselves but also make sure to leave a lot for the days to come." Cardinal announced as the kids began to savagely devour the food, even the Eds. As they finished, Cardinal sighed and sat down on one of the empty wagons, looking at the empty city.

Ed burped and crouched beside him, "So how did today go for you guys?"

"Yeah, any survivors found?" Cardinal asked.

Everyone shook their heads and went to bed, except for Nazz, "We walked all over the city but found no one at all. Did Regal get them like they got Jimmy?"

"Perhaps, but I'm not sure what he would need them for. He's got all the power he could ever want, with or without us. Maybe he's trying to make us go insane or something." Cardinal replied. Nazz nodded and went to bed with everyone else. Eddy and Double D stayed up with Ed and Cardinal, who were chatting about their plans to stop Regal.

Mid-way through their conversation, Cardinal stopped talking and looked towards Eddy, "Do you and Edd have any plans that could intertwine with Ed's and mine?"

"I don't know. I haven't thought about it, but there is something I kinda wanted to ask you about," Eddy said. Cardinal nodded and signaled for Eddy to go on, "When we first met Regal, he said that his master was some guy named Prometheus. Who is he and how is he his master when you said Regallis was the heart and soul of the Silver Nova?"

Cardinal chuckled, "I see. Very well, I might as well explain to you who Prometheus is."

"You know him?" Double D said shockingly.

"Yep. Prometheus is Regallis' master, of course, but that's about it. Regallis is the coordinator and engineer of the Silver Nova while Prometheus was merely the creator of it. Yes, he leads Regallis to where he must go in order to become stronger, but Regallis deals with that in his own way." Cardinal said. The sky was completely dark except for the stars and Silver Nova the hung over the heroes. The group of four decided that it was best to get rest before they begin yet another battle with Regal.

* * *

><p><p>

"So, Jimmy... Who exactly is Edward Irons?" Regal asked, holding the small pipsqueak up against the white, metal wall. They were inside the Silver Nova, where a massive base of operations was placed for the Psychometrics to plan out their domination of Earth in search of Ed. The base was on a large island, floating in the middle of Subspace. Several buildings made up of white were placed on the dead-grass covered landmass, all ranging from small bunkers to massive skyscrapers. Regal's base of operations was the tallest tower, called the 'Twilight Court", where he had been torturing his captive for the past two hours.

"Why should you know?" Jimmy spat, forcing Regal to throw him across the white throne room that they were in. The 148-story tower consisted of rooms filled with weapons, beds, and the top floor was where Regal had his throne, in a completely white room with nothing else but the entrance door.

After colliding with the opposite wall, Jimmy slowly turned to his back, his face covered in blood and his mouth missing several teeth. Regal approached him, his dot turning red, "Little runt, there is more to life than rebelling. You can't expect to tell me something and for me to follow through; It's ludicrous, I tell you."

Jimmy got to his feet and attempted to run to the door leading out before he was blasted against the wall by Regal's air bomb. He was able to get to his feet again and run back to the door before being blasted against the wall again, "Let me go! I can't tell you anything! I know nothing!"

Regal approached quickly and gripped him by the neck, "If you know nothing, then you will only know nothing. Therefore, you serve no purpose to the cosmos and can be disposed of at will."

At the thought of being killed, Jimmy began bawling and squirming, trying to break free to no avail, "Please... Please, just let me..."

Suddenly, the door flew open and a tall man in white, metal armor stepped in. His helmet resembled an eagle, white with black outlines, along with the other body armor. The man walked forward and ordered for Regal to set Jimmy down.

"Billion, I ordered for you to train Deadwing to kill those crude kids before they pose a threat the Psychometric race! What are you doing here?" Regal shouted, throwing Jimmy against the wall again and knocking him out.

The man nodded, "I did just that, but he ran off without training. I couldn't catch up to him."

Regal punched Billion, sending him into the hallway outside. He landed at the very end, laying under the window, watching as Regal approached him, "You imbecile! Do you know why Prometheus created me? To create people to do my job better than me. So far, you are making him the greatest failure to the Psychometric race!"

Billion slowly stood up and blocked Regal's punch of anger, "Sir, I can assure you that Deadwing will not fail us. As a matter of fact, he might just be the greatest thing the Psychometrics have ever witnessed!"

Regal grabbed Billion by the neck, "There's an equal chance that he might be the greatest thing the Psychometrics never witnessed." After finishing his sentence, he thrust Billion out the window, sending him to the ground without another sound.

Regal knew things weren't going the way he wanted them to.

* * *

><p><p>

The night flew right by for the cul-de-sac kids and Cardinal, who had slept quietly until around 9:00AM the next morning, when they packed everything up and began to leave the town, heading down the nearest highway.

"Ed, I must speak with you," Cardinal shouted from the front of the group. The highway made for a terrible route, but the most efficient for finding Dr. Benson. The roads were caving in the ground and sticking up into the air, thanks to the massive earthquake. Nonetheless, Ed made it to the front and walked beside the adult, "I need to know where your doctor is. I don't feel like getting lost with Regal roaming around."

"Um..." Ed replied, "I'm not entirely sure. I think his office is in Beverly Village or something."

Cardinal jumped in surprise and stared, "Beverly Village? On the other side of the damn state?"

"I guess."

"Well, this isn't what I expected, but okay." Cardinal said and moved on ahead of Ed, who had fallen back to take up the rear. As the group continued to move down the long, rugged highway, several flocks of birds were seen flying in the direction that the kids were coming from. Eddy, nervous about what it could mean, moved over to Double D, who was pulling one of the wagons of supplies.

"Are we walking into a trap?" He asked quietly.

"I doubt it. They're just flying somewhere. Nothing to worry about until we reach the Silver Nova, I guess." Edd replied, confident in the productivity of the group.

"Well, none of us can be sure. We could die in a matter of seconds, for all we know." Eddy said and walked back to his position, looking ahead nervously.

The group stopped with a sudden shout from Cardinal. When the kids walked up beside their leader they found themselves in front of a massive canyon that was created from the disasters that had previously happened. The dirt wasn't covered in the purple circles, which was different from the rest of the roads throughout the city. The bottom of the canyon was a miniature desert, several meters below.

"Well, we obviously can't get across." Cardinal announced, pointing to the road on the the other side of the canyon, which was too far apart to jump to.

Rolf stood beside his father, "What can Rolf do to assist secret agent father?"

The adult turned to Double D, who was holding the handle to one of the wagons, "Edd, look through the wagon and see if we have any rope or something. We need to get to the bottom of this canyon if we want to proceed."

Nodding, Double D rummaged through the wagon, eventually finding a short piece of rope and the edge of some sort of grappling hook. Handing it to Cardinal, the adult threw away the grapple and tied the rope around a nearby tree stump, handing the other end to Rolf, "Wanna help? Hold this tight and jump off the cliff."

The son of an agent looked at his father in surprise for such a request. He nodded and walked over to the abrupt ending of the path, looking down at the sand below. Closing his eyes, he slowly jumped off, feeling the wind against his face as he suddenly stopped in the middle of the air. Opening his eyes and looking around, he saw he was half-way down the cliff side, the ground still a decent distance below him, "Was this intentional, yes?"

"Jump!" The entire group shouted.

Rolf looked up and then back down, gulping at the thought of falling that far down. Closing his eyes once more, he let go of the rope, falling down and screaming before landing in the soft sand, situated under the shade of the cliffs, face first. Rolling to his back, he looked up at the red sky, which didn't cause any of the sand to be blazing hot. Ignoring that random thought, he stood up and waved up to his father, giving the motion that he was okay. Cardinal nodded and began to have the other kids do the same, one by one.

In minutes the entire group was in the canyon, piled on a narrow path of sand that stretched around like a maze. The sides of the cliffs were dirt but with stone sticking out every now and then. The sand was a mystery as to how it got there, but Double D was the only one thinking about it. The others were trying to decide where to go from there.

"We have no idea where these paths lead." Kevin acknowledged, looking at how both paths took drastic turns, not giving the teenagers any clue of which way to go.

"What are we supposed to do then?" Johnny asked, holding Plank up to his ear, "What's that Plank? Split up?"

"I think the cardboard is right. We must split up." Cardinal said and began to think about how the groups would work.

Johnny looked up from Plank in confusion, "But Plank isn't..."

"Alright, group one will be me, Kevin, Rolf, and Sarah. Group Two will be Eddy, Ed, Double D, Johnny, and Nazz." Cardinal said, ignoring Johnny.

At the announcement, Nazz looked over at Kevin in shock, but noticed that he didn't look back, "So... Which way do we go?" She asked.

"We'll take the path to the North. You guys should take South." Ed said to the approval of everyone else. With one last good-bye, the groups departed, prepared for whatever lay ahead, each taking a wagon full of supplies.

As they continued walking, both groups began to think that this battle may never end.

**To be continued...**


	12. Desert Fight with a Bald Man

**Nothing to say here. Go ahead and read on... **

* * *

><p>Ed, travelling along the Northern path in the strange desert-like place with Eddy, Double D, Johnny, and Nazz, realized that the path they were taking would nearly kill them. They were slowly running out of water and food, and the path wound on longer by the minute, the heat giving them sunburn and reminding them of death.<p>

"We're not gonna make it... I told you, Double D!" Eddy cried, falling onto his face and crying. Ed walked over to his friend and pulled him to his feet, brushing the sand off his shirt.

"Chin up, flat head. We're not dying yet, so no need to cry." Ed said and began walking once again. The group sighed, restless since waking up, and followed him once again.

Finally, the group turned another corner and wound up in a massive crater covered in sand, resembling a miniature desert. The teens looked over across from them and noticed a path leading up to mainland, where the rest of the highway, and perhaps the city, was.

"Keep on your toes, guys. We might run into-" Ed said before being cut off by the cries of joy from the other teens, who began sprinting across the crater at impeccable speed before suddenly stopping without reason. Ed ran up to them, noticing a display of fear on each of their faces.

Double D, shaking while standing still, jumped at Ed and hung onto him, crying, "Ed... There's something around here... It..." He said before bursting into frightening tears, along with the other teens except for Ed.

Setting the sock-headed teen down and looking around, Ed began to wonder why he was the only one not crying or scared. Was he clueless of what was going on around him while everyone else knew?

Suddenly, a tsunami of sand burst up and over the kids from the ground, sending them back a bit before revealing a tall, muscular figure with a bald, tan head, sunglasses, a mechanical armor-like suit colored silver with breast plates and gauntlets, and carrying a whip in his hand. The figure stared at the teens, sending each of the kids silent before forcing them into a bawling state again. Ed ordered for them to be quiet and stepped in front of the group.

"Who are you?" He asked, a bit scared by the appearance of his foe.

The man cracked his finger and his neck before stomping his foot onto Ed's, forcing a shriek from the tall, strong teen, "I am your demise." He said viciously and grabbed Ed by the head, threatening to completely crush it with his hand.

* * *

><p><p>

"Alright, pipsqueak, you have one more chance to tell me who Edward Irons is before I completely destroy you and make you into a Psychometric." Regal said, his dot dark red, signifying rage. He was still focusing on the child, trying to figure out the easiest way to capture the wisest person in the nation at the moment.

Jimmy lay against the corner, behind the throne in the Twilight Court, crying with blood on his face from the beatings he had received previously, "I... I..." He trailed off before finally going silent, "I'll tell you..."

Regal laughed loudly, "Excellent. I guess I don't have to deal with you in a terrible way anymore. Now then, explain to me the qualities of Edward Irons."

Standing up, Jimmy walked over and took a seat in the throne, not daring to look at Regal, "Well, he's the nicest person I know... He's incredibly brave... He's an amazing leader..."

"Is that it? All good qualities?"

Jimmy nodded, "He's also amazingly strong."

Regal's dot turned yellow with interest, "Really? Go on."

"Well, he's probably the strongest guy in the entire cul-de-sac... He has picked up houses before and other buildings for many different uses..."

"All evil?"

"Well, Eddy is a scammer, so kinda..." Jimmy said.

Regal's dot turned blue, "That's perfect. Once Deadwing captures Edward Irons and kills his friend, he'll have nowhere else to go!"

"Not quite." A voice said from the doorway.

Regal turned and saw Billion, still alive from the fall, "I thought I killed you!"

"Regallis, there is a massive chance that Deadwing might kill the one known as Edward Irons." Billion said nervously.

Regal, his dot turning back to dark red, dashed up to his minion and grabbed him by the neck, holding him in the air, "You do not refer to me as Regallis! There is no reason that-" He suddenly stopped and dropped Billion, "Wait, what did you say!"

"Deadwing wasn't created to capture, but to kill instead." Billion stated, blocking his body with his arms in case Regal began attacking.

Regal turned towards Jimmy, who was about to cry at the news that his role model might die at the hands of a war machine, "Young one, you stay here! I need to find that abomination that this bastard released." Regal shouted furiously, kicking Billion in the face and flying out the window, back out into Earth.

* * *

><p><p>

"Let him go!" Nazz said through tears, still unable to move out of fear.

"Not quite yet. I was created to destroy those kids who got in the way of Master Regallis' plans." The man said, keeping his grip on Ed's head.

Johnny screamed, "Regal? He's come for Ed!"

"Listen, baldy; Regal wants Ed alive, not dead! So leave him alone!" Eddy shouted, his fists clenched.

"I wasn't commanded to do that." The man said.

"Then you serve no purpose." A voice said from nearby. The kids looked over and saw Regal, floating down to surface from the air, his dot red with anger.

The man dropped Ed and faced his creator, "Master Regallis, what are you doing out in the open?"

"What you couldn't, Deadwing. What were you thinking, killing the teen that we came here for in the first place?" Regal shouted.

Ed got up after feeling the blood rush through his head again and ran over to his friends, who were afraid of both Regal and this new enemy known as Deadwing.

"I was created to destroy." Deadwing said back calmly, drawing his whip. A blue light began shining along the whip, revealing it to be an electric whip, a deadly one at that.

Regal dashed at Deadwing, dodging the whip and punching him in the stomach. Nothing happened, not even a flinch, and Deadwing responded by whipping his creator in the back, sending him to the ground.

Eddy pulled Double D aside, "We have to get out of here!" He cried.

"Ed, what do we do!" Nazz shrieked as Deadwing slowly approached the teens, his whip prepared to attack. Ed pointed into the distance, above the path that they were heading for. There was Cardinal and the other teens, watching as Ed's group got attacked by Deadwing brutally, falling to the ground with flesh wounds all over where the whip struck them.

Cardinal immediately dashed at Deadwing and grabbed the hand that held the whip, trying to wrestle the deadly weapon out of his grasp. He successfully sent the whip across the crater and onto a ledge, "Leave them alone!"

"I shall complete my task, whether those in my path die or survive." Deadwing growled and punched Cardinal in the neck, causing him to couch up blood while falling onto his back.

"Papa!" Rolf screamed and ran to his father's side. He shifted his gaze to Deadwing, "You madman!"

"Not madman; War machine." Deadwing said. He lifted his fists and began to rapidly pound the son of an agent all over his body, eventually knocking him unconscious. The rest of Cardinal's group ran to the other group, trying to watch each other's back.

"Do something, lumpy!" Eddy and Kevin cried simultaneously.

While Ed prepared to battle Deadwing, Regal got back to his feet and prepared an air bomb, like the one that separated the teens in the first place. After finally releasing it, sand flew everywhere. The teens began to wander aimlessly, looking for each other in the mess.

"Double D! Kevin-" Nazz said before sand started to pile into her mouth. She fell to the ground, trying to rid her mouth of the taste.

Finally, the storm calmed down with Ed, Regal, and Deadwing missing. The teens began looking frantically for them, trying to watch their backs in case they were ambushed. Then they remembered Rolf and his father were both knocked out cold, not waking up for a while.

"Guys, run!" Ed shouted from a distance. The cul-de-sac kids looked over and saw Ed, Regal, and Deadwing on the cliff that the electric whip had been sent to. Deadwing was in possession of the whip once again, and was preparing to kill both Ed and Regal in seconds.

"Why did I even build you in the first place?" Regal shouted, furious that his creation had run a muck.

Ed stepped back a bit, his forehead bleeding from the sand's interaction with a cut caused by the whip, "I'm not leaving until you leave my friends alone!"

Deadwing looked over at Regal and took off his sunglasses, revealing two laser cannons that had been powering up since the beginning of the battle. With a smirk, he fired the cannons at Regal, sending him back through the various terrain in Peach Creek, several miles away.

As soon as the cannons were done firing, Ed leaped at the hand holding the whip and grabbed it, jumping back into the desert with the weapon ready for attack.

Deadwing jumped after him, leaving his sunglasses off and powering up his eye cannons again, "Give me my weapon so I can finish you off."

"Certainly." Ed said and sent the end of the whip around Deadwing's neck, putting both his hands on the handle.

"You wouldn't!" Deadwing said with a slight cry.

"I damn straight would." Ed said and pulled the handle tight, tightening the electric whip around the enemy's neck, completely electrocuting the body and ripping the neck off. The body fell over, the head falling onto it. Oil leaked out from it's neck, and the wires connecting his head and neck were still releasing sparks.

Deadwing was finished.

The other cul-de-sac kids ran up to Ed, cheering as they were once again safe, despite Rolf and his father still being unconscious. They all laughed and joked around as they relaxed back by the wagons and sleeping bodies of their friends.

However, right before they began to leave, Regal appeared walking through the desert crater, towards the teens. Bloody and hurt for once, he walked up to them slowly, not showing any intentions of wanting to attack.

The teens stepped back while Ed fronted the group, "What do you want?"

Regal stood there, not moving at all, "I'm not going to kill you. I just wanted to say..." He slowly trailed off, his dot turning black, "Thank you."

The teens were surprised by the words that their enemy spoke. He spoke them calmly, almost friendly, but turned back around.

"But I will get you." He said before blasting off into the Silver Nova again, leaving behind a wave of sand. The teens watched as the white dot moved inside the vortex before completely dissappearing.

"Not a chance, buddy." Ed said and turned around, ordering everyone to get the two unconscious people onto the wagons and move out.

Everyone cheered at Ed, who they believed brought out the heart in Regal. Ed ordered them to get back to getting Rolf and Cardinal in the wagons so that they could go find Dr. Benson sooner.

Double D began rummaging through the wagon, moving things aside to make room for the two before finding some sort of plastic container. Grabbing it and looking, he read the label to himself.

"Rebellions... Pregnancy... Test?" He said shockingly, looking up at both Nazz and Sarah, "Which one... Is..."

Nazz looked over at Double D, who was sweating and shaking, "What's wrong, Double D?"

"N-Nothing..." He replied and stuffed the test into his hat, planning on thinking about it another time. The others began to pick up Cardinal and Rolf and set them comfortably in the wagons and pull them along the path back onto mainland. Travelling along the rugged highway, they saw the metropolis known as Peach Creek City, which made up most of the businesses in the community.

"He's gonna be there, I think." Ed said.

"But I thought he was on the other side of the state?" Everyone said astonishingly.

"Yeah, Rhode Island isn't that big of a state, guys." He said to everyone's understanding. With one last look at the desert, they moved into the city.

**To be continued...**


	13. Population

**Population, eh? I guess I may have named the chapter this for a reason (hint, hint).**

* * *

><p>The streets of Peach Creek City weren't deserted, yet they felt that way to the travelling teens. Cars were burning, on their hoods, and altogether completely done for. Signs from street corners and shops were floating around in the wind or in big water puddles that were scattered around. Some buildings were collapsed, completely absent of anything or anyone.<p>

"Are you sure he would be here? It doesn't look like anyone is here." Nazz said as the group walked down Peter Avenue, which is the main road in the city. Eddy and Double D were pulling the wagons carrying Cardinal and Rolf while Ed fronted the group again, watching out for his doctor's office.

"He has to be here. There's nowhere else he would be." Ed replied as they approached an intersection. The group looked down the roads that they could turn onto. Trash and fire littered the sidewalks and streets that once was a prosperous city full of hope. No sign of life could be seen to the teens.

Ed pointed down the road to the right, where multiple apartment skyscrapers sat along the road, empty of life, "His office should be down this road here. Let's check it out."

They marched down the road, titled Mud Road, where multiple candy shops and drug stores caught the eyes of the kids, particularly Eddy, "Candy and drugs? I love jawbreakers and all, but who would put a drug store right next to it?"

"It's drugs- as in medicine. Not alcohol." Double D corrected.

"Still." Eddy said, looking ahead and seeing a massive office building covered in glass windows with silver corners. It was a pillar going up for around 70 stories or more, maybe less. Either way, Ed smiled as he looked upon the building.

"That it, monobrow?" Kevin asked grumpily yet happy to rest.

Ed nodded and began to march forward again. As they approached the double doors made of metal with small windows inside both of them, the kids began to notice Rolf move slightly. They waited a few minutes in the abandoned lobby to see if he was awake. Finally, after waiting for nearly half an hour, he opened his eyes.

"Rolf... Feels like a failure..." He said sadly and began to cry as he looked over at his father, who was still knocked out cold.

Johnny walked over with Plank and sat down beside his country friend, "Don't worry, ol' buddy! We're at the doctors, so we can get you and your daddy and Nazz and Sarah and Kevin and-"

"I think he gets it, baldy." Sarah said to everyone's chuckle.

"However, Johnny raises a good point. We're gonna want to hide out here in order to fix up the wounds we got." Ed said and walked over to the elevator, which opened up, still working perfectly. He turned around to see Kevin, Nazz, Johnny, and Double D staring at him, wide eyed with fright, "Ugh... I guess we should take the stairs then."

The four sighed with relief and followed Ed to the stairs and began climbing up, helping carry the heavy wagons upstairs. After around half an hour, they climbed to around the twenty first story and ran into a single door with a window blocked by tape. Ed put his ear against the wooden door and heard voices on the other side; One a light masculine and one a regular sounding female.

"Are you sure you'll be fine with me doing this?" The masculine said.

"Yes. If it will allow me to return home to my cousin." The female replied. The masculine chuckled and apparently walked away as footsteps could be heard fading away.

Johnny walked up and crouched down next to Ed, "What'cha hear, Ed? Monsters? Aliens?"

"Sounds like a couple." Ed said, listening closer.

The footsteps could be heard once again, "The children have no problem with it?"

"Nope. Please proceed." The female said again and suddenly began shrieking. After a minute, the shrieking stopped.

The teens jumped at the noise and Ed immediately burst the door open. There was a hallway to what appeared to be a doctor's office with kid's drawings on the wall and equipment on multiple desks. Ed slowly walked down the hallway and stepped into a small office with a reclined chair in the center and cabinets and more equipment everywhere. There was a tall, blond woman who looked foreign. She was in the chair and was the one who shrieked. She wore dark jeans and a white tank-top. The man that was behind her was of medium size with short, gray hair and a blue suit on. He was holding a shot that had apparently put the patient to sleep.

"Who are you?" The man asked, putting the shot down on his operation desk, which had all sorts of needles on it. He took off his gloves and set them down, walking over to Ed, "And please bring the rest of your friends in here."

The other teens slowly made their way in and stood behind Ed, shaking a bit after thinking that the man was some sort of killer, "I am Edward Irons and these are my friends Nazz, Kevin, Eddy, Double D, Johnny, Sarah and Rolf." He said, pointing to each one as he went through their names. When he got to Rolf, he noticed that he wasn't there, but instead beside the patient, crying.

"Ramona! Please talk to me!" Rolf cried, holding the patient's head.

The doctor smiled and chuckled, "Ah, you must be her cousin, Rolf."

Rolf jumped on top of the doctor, "What did you do to her!"

Ed quickly ran over and pulled Rolf off by force, throwing him against the wall, "Rolf, he's a doctor; He's merely operating on her. There's no need to get angry."

Leaning against the wall, face red with anger, Rolf began to breath slowly and calmed down, "Very well... What is Rolf's cousin doing here?... Is she hurt?"

"Sort of. She was in the city and somehow survived the apocalypse, so I decided to take her in with my other patients and try to fix her. She was still okay, but needed her leg amputated, and that is what I was about to do before you teens intervened." The doctor said and put his hand on Ramona's forehead, nodding and smiling.

Eddy stepped forward, "Are you Dr. Benson?"

"No, but I know where he is." The doctor said.

"What is your name, then?" Eddy asked.

The doctor nodded and smiled, "I am Dr. Marcus Trey Combs, top doctor in all of Peach Creek City. I have been here since the apocalypse, treating all the survivors that I find."

The teens jumped, "Survivors? So there are other survivors?" Double D exclaimed happily. Everyone smiled, glad to know that they weren't the only ones to survive.

Combs pointed to a door in the corner that was slightly open, "In there is where they are. Why don't you go introduce yourselves?"

Ed nodded and led the teens over to the door and opened it all the way. On the other side was a big room that looked like a kindergarten classroom absent of light with white tiles on the floor and tables and all sorts of forms of entertainment everywhere. There were kids and adults of all sorts of genders and nationalities at the tables, watching television, or reading and playing with each other. When the teens walked in, they all diverted their attention and stared at them with a stare of hate.

Ed gulped and stepped to the front of the room, "Um, excuse me. My name is Edward Irons, and I am..." He trailed off, wondering if he should tell them the truth, "I am a survivor of this terrible catastrophe like yourselves. These are my friends. They'll come around and introduce themselves." He finished and walked back to his friends. He turned on the light and pushed the others towards the adults and children, forcing them to introduce themselves.

"Hey, kids! Do you like money?" Eddy said to a small group of kids. One was Caucasian and the other three were African american females.

"I see you like dollies!" Sarah said in a polite voice to five Caucasian girls, "Do you wanna play with dollies?" The girls nodded and smiled and led Sarah over to a corner with a doll house.

"Cool trucks!" Kevin said to a large group of kids and adults playing with toy cars, "Can I play?"

"He's not just a block of wood!" Johnny cried as a group of girls laughed at him and Plank, "He's my best friend!"

"Actually, that was Moses, not Will Smith. Must I teach you about that?" Double D said shockingly to a group of young kids.

"Yes, Rolf was actually from the country of New Zealand! I came here because my mama was in debt to a guy named Ronnie and he apparently was a pedophile." Rolf said to a group of adults who were shocked at the last part.

Ed smiled at how the kids were getting along with his friends. He then looked over at the corner of the room that no one was in and saw Nazz, sitting on a stool and rocking back and forth nervously. Ed walked over and leaned against the wall next to her, "Something wrong?"

Nazz shook her head, "Why would something be wrong? We found p-people." She coughed.

"Are you sick?" Ed asked in a serious tone.

Nazz shook her head and pushed Ed away.

Sighing, Ed walked out of the room and over to Combs, who was about to begin amputating Rolf's cousin's leg. As he picked up a knife, he heard Ed walk in and turned to face the tall teenager, "Are the kids behaving well?"

Ed nodded, "Where are all the other survivors? That can't be all of them."

"I'm afraid those are all of them. I haven't found anyone else," Combs said and noticed the wagons carrying Cardinal at the doorway, "Who is that? Is he dead?"

"Oh, no. That's Rolf's father. He was hurt in a fight and might be in critical condition. I don't know." Ed said and pulled the wagon up to the doctor, who began inspecting the agent's vitals.

"He's fine. Just unconscious. However, I'm not positive if he had any major wounds that need to be tended to. If you want, I can inspect him."

Ed nodded, "Please!"

"-For a price, that is."

"A price!" Ed shouted, "How do you expect us to get money in this sort of scenario?"

"I dunno. I've been payed by everyone who needs an operation. That's the way my business goes." Combs said and turned back to Ramona's leg, digging the knife into her skin slowly.

Ed, angry, got an idea that may work, "Listen; I may not have money, but I do have one thing, and that is my knowledge. That thing in the sky? It's called a Silver Nova. There's a race called the Psychometrics in there that are trying to capture me and lead them to success. However, I am trying to stop them. If you don't fix up Cardinal... Then I won't protect you or the children."

Combs looked at Ed in shock, "That's immoral! Who do you think you are, risking the lives of dozens of innocent children for one lousy man who probably serves no purpose to you?"

Ed instantly grabbed the doctor's shirt sleeve and held him up, "He serves the most important purpose out of us all! Without him, we're completely screwed, so if you don't save him then you're just promising a dark future for those kids you think you're protecting!"

Combs kicked Ed, sending him back to the wall, "Don't act like an ass to me. I don't listen to angst-ridden teenagers like yourself. Move along so I can finish this operation. Also, I would recommend burying that man in the wagon soon. You know, if he does turn out to be dead soon."

Ed stood up and grabbed the wagon's black handle, "Then tell me where Dr. Benson is so I can talk to someone who hasn't lost their mind."

The doctor walked over to a window and pointed to a large warehouse in the distance, only a few blocks away, "He's in there. He's trying to convince the kids here that I'm not a good role model to them, but they won't listen."

"Stockholm Syndrome. I get it." Ed said and walked over to the kindergarten room, pulling the wagon inside. All the teens were having discussions with the kids and playing their little games.

"What're you talking about? There is no way Justin Timberlake is better than Deep Purple!" Eddy shouted in anger, "Kids these days..."

Ed walked to the front of the room and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, "Excuse me, but I must speak directly to my friends."

"Then out with it!" Kevin said, busy playing with a big monster truck replica.

"My doctor, Dr. Benson, is not too far from here. I suggest we go ahead and go see him." Ed said to the other teenager's smiles and sighs.

One kids stood up and pointed at Ed, "Dr. Benson is a mean person! Why would you want to go see him? He said that Daddy Combs is a bad person!"

Ed ignored the comment and began choosing who would go with him, but eventually decided to have the teens volunteer themselves, "Who will venture with me to the warehouse in which my doctor is located?"

"I'll go." Eddy said and stood up, looking back at the kid he was having a tasteful argument with.

"Me too." Kevin said and pushed his monster truck onto the floor, breaking it into a dozen pieces.

"I'll go too, big brain Ed-boy," Rolf said and immediately walked out the door, "I just hope that this doctor can help my father."

Ed nodded, realizing that his friends heard the argument that had recently occurred. Turning to the door and exiting, the four teens left the building and walked through the destroyed city under the red sky. They didn't know if there were other people in the city besides them, and they didn't know what side they were on.

Things were going to get interesting real fast.

**To be continued...**


	14. Youth and the Past

**Well, here is the next chapter. Stuff happens, people get angsty, and some stuff is talked about. Read if you are interested.**

**Once again, I do not own Ed Edd n Eddy.**

* * *

><p>"I cannot believe this," Regal announced as he walked back into his white throne room, where young Jimmy hadn't moved since the villain left hours before, "All that I have been doing is going to waste, and you have been no help to me whatsoever!" He shouted, pointing at Jimmy, who curled up into a ball in Regal's throne.<p>

"I'm sorry... I can't betray my own friends!" Jimmy said back.

Regal dashed up to Jimmy and grabbed his neck, holding him above the throne and tightening his grip more and more, "They aren't your friends! They all think of you as an outcast, a loser, a nobody. That's not how they should treat you!"

Jimmy stared down at Regal, "It's better than you treat me." He snarled and kicked Regal in the head, escaping his enemy's grip and running to the door, which was locked.

"You shouldn't have done that!" Regal yelled and attempted to grab Jimmy, only to rip off his blue, long sleeve shirt. As soon as the young one's torso was bare, Regal's dot turned from dark red to blue as he continued to stare at the purple circles and stems that had been etched into Jimmy's skin for multiple days, "So you've been affected by the Dream Rain, eh?"

Jimmy looked at him in confusion, "The what?"

"Cache, the term used for information that is stored deep within a system, whether it's technological or living. It is truly the one thing that keeps most leaders moving. And I finally have access to yours now." He said in a sinister tone. Before Jimmy could react, Regal's right arm automatically turned into a large tentacle, still colored white. With one swift motion, the Psychometric sent the tip of the tentacle into the main circle on Jimmy's chest. Jimmy's eyes turned completely white, and he became zombie-like, not showing any movements and only moaning.

"You..." Jimmy moaned before going limp and silent.

Regal's dot turned white and blended in with the rest of his head, "Excellent. Everything that you have to know is at my disposal!" He said to himself and laughed. Everything went dark to him and suddenly, he saw memories of Jimmy's past play before him.

* * *

><p><p>

The streets of Peach Creek City looked the same at night, barely changing it's looks. It was slightly difficult to navigate through the streets without lights from lamps or buildings, but the four teens were able to manage it. Finally arriving at the warehouse's front double doors, Kevin opened them up and walked inside, finding a light switch nearby and turning it on.

Light quickly filled the massive warehouse room. Boxes with various tools inside were stacked on top of each other everywhere with switches, levers, and doors on the walls. A set of steel stairs led up to the upper level, which was only another set of double doors.

"Strange... Why on earth would Dr. Benson be here? This wasn't the office I remember him being in when I came by." Ed said and began inspecting the boxes, which were filled with gunpowder and hammers.

The other three teens shrugged and began looking around. Opening up the boxes, pulling the levers, opening the doors that were merely closets, they began to think that Dr. Benson wasn't there anymore.

"The only place he could be is upstairs." Eddy said and began to ascend the steel steps with the other teens following close behind. When they walked up to the door, it opened without even touching it. They slowly and cautiously stepped inside the dark room.

"Edward. Good to see you once again." A voice said. The lights in the room came on and a tall, bald man in an orange jumpsuit was sitting in a leather chair at the center. Nothing else other than windows were around him.

Ed smiled, "Dr. Benson! God, we're so glad to finally have found you. What's with that Combs guy back at your office building? He's making all those kids-"

Benson nodded and interrupted, "I know, I know. Combs and I have always been rivals, but that's not what is important. I'm sure you know what's been going on..."

All four nodded.

"Ed, I am deeply sorry that I've done this to you. I put you in a mess that you should have never been involved with and it's nearly cost your life. How you've made it this far is beyond my expectations." Benson said and stood up, walking over to a row of windows in his steel toe boots.

"So you've known about Regal this entire time?" Eddy said, walking further into the room with the three others. They stood beside the leather chair and waited for a reply from Ed's doctor.

Benson turned around and stared at the four, "I have, and my past is something that I can't tell you guys. For it would put you in much more danger."

"You must tell us! We cannot defeat Regal without full knowledge of who he is." Kevin said.

"Please, tell us." Ed said calmly.

Benson sighed and nodded, sitting back down in his chair, "It all started back in my childhood... I had a friend who was very close to me..."

* * *

><p><p>

After nearly an hour of viewing Jimmy's memories that had been cached, Regal finally withdrew his tentacle and turned it back to his arm. Jimmy's eyes returned to normal and he returned to the way he was before, "Ah, yes. I see what you have gone through, young brat."

Jimmy stood up, his purple stems gone, "What did you just do!"

"I only accessed your cache."

"My what?" Jimmy said.

"Your cache. The memories that you cannot remember for there are more important things to remember, like your birth. I can access your entire past with only your cache. And that is exactly what I did." Regal said and left the room, locking it and leaving Jimmy alone.

"My... Memories?..." Jimmy said to himself before standing up in shock, "Oh god, he knows everything about Ed now! I have to get out of here somehow!"

* * *

><p><p>

Regal traveled down to the Twilight Court's lobby via elevator and walked up to the receptionist, who was a human looking female with green skin, blond hair, and a black dress, "Fern, I need to speak with Billion as soon as I can. Where is he?"

"Oh, he said that he was going to do something to fix all his wrongs." The receptionist replied and went back to working on her computer.

Regal turned to the glass double doors, "Damn it, not suicide again." He said to himself and ran out the doors and headed straight for a large stone building called the Quarry Manor, which housed most of the citizens of the Silver Nova. Walking up to the walls outside, he sprinted up the wall and stopped at around the seventh floor, breaking through a window and entering a white room similar to his own. Opening a nearby door, he saw Billion sitting on the floor, a gun in his mouth.

"Put it down." Regal shouted. Billion obeyed and put the gun down.

"I'm... Sorry, sir. I just never get anything right anymore."

"Well, you have your chance to redeem yourself now. I need you to siege Peach Creek City and capture Edward Irons after you destroy those who are around him." Regal said, his dot turning yellow.

Billion looked ahead, out a window, and sighed, "I'm probably gonna screw this one up as well, sir..."

"We don't know that. All it is is taking care of that boy in an abandoned city where it's easy to kidnap. We're all relying on you, Billion, so you cannot deny or fail." Regal said and left.

Billion nodded and walked to his bedroom and lay down on his bed, looking up at his white ceiling, "Should I still kill myself?"

* * *

><p><p>

Night was when the kids at Combs' office were the quietest. Preparing to go to sleep on the floor, the teens left and walked into the main room, where the operation on Rolf's cousin Ramona was complete. She was still unconscious and that is why Combs was beside her, reading a magazine. He looked up when the teens closed the door and tried to exit the office, "Where do ya think you're going? Nowhere, that's where."

"You can't tell us what to do!" Sarah said.

"I'm trying to protect you, something your stupid leader wouldn't bother doing." Combs said, throwing the magazine aside and standing up.

The teens stared at the doctor with anger, "Don't call my brother stupid!" Sarah screamed.

"I just did, and there's nothing you can do to change my opinion on him." Combs said and slapped Sarah across the face, sending her to the ground in tears.

Double D stepped in front of the group, "What the hell was that for? You're supposed to be a doctor and protector of those kids in there, instead you're treating us like crap!"

Combs leaned into Double D's face, "Shut it, sockhead. You don't look serious at all when you're legs and arms are skinny like sticks."

In a fit of rage, Double D lifted his foot, sending it into Combs' crotch, leading him to let out a groan of pain. With the doctor already hurt, Double D sent the bottom of his shoe into Combs' face, sending him backwards and onto the unconscious Ramona.

"No one insults me and my friends," Double D muttered and turned to the doors, "Let's go before he wakes up."

The teens agreed and left, all amazed by Double D's bravery against an adult like Combs.

However, that wouldn't be the strongest adult that they'd have to face.

**To be continued...**


	15. History Lesson

**Here ya go. Seems like filler, eh? Well, tomorrow I'll be updating with another two-parter so just you wait.**

**I do not own Ed Edd n Eddy.**

* * *

><p>"My childhood was normal until the day a certain someone came," Benson began, reclining in his chair, looking up at the ceiling, "I was in love with a girl named Martha and I planned on eventually telling her how I felt."<p>

Eddy and Kevin sighed, "We have to listen to you moan about how you were in love and crap? That's not what we came here for!" They said almost simultaneously.

"But she was a scene kid. She hung out with the big kids while I was stuck to studying astronomy and psychology. And then it happened..." He trailed off and sat up, his eyes wide open, "The Silver Nova appeared when it shouldn't have."

Eddy, who was looking out the window with Kevin, turned around, "What? What year was it?"

"I dunno, about 1970. I was in Brazil, studying Psychology and Astronomy when it appeared and began storming the university I was in. I was able to escape, but not before running into Regal himself. He told me that he wanted the ability that only his race knew. I had no idea what he meant and ran for my life. I escaped and left Brazil, hiding out in Peach Creek since then." He concluded.

"Really? Cause Rolf's dad apparently had a similar experience. He said that Regal showed up in Italy or something when he was a child and wanted to find the man who was as brilliant as the devil himself or something like that." Eddy said and leaned against the wall.

Benson suddenly tensed up and stood up. He walked over to Ed and hugged him, not letting go, "I'm sorry I did this to you, Ed..."

"Did what? You just made me smarter, that's-"

"I gave you the knowledge of the world's most brilliant people that have passed away... And mine." He said. Ed pushed him away and stared at him, eyes wide open.

"What! So... You never released my cache?" Ed asked, stunned.

"Not yet. Listen, I believe that there is more to Regal than any of us know, but someone deceased does... I gave you the knowledge and minds of the greatest so that I could release your cache... And maybe we could learn something." Benson muttered.

Ed put his head in his hands and looked out the window at the dark city, the Silver Nova in the distance. Turning around, he saw Benson on the verge of tears, "How are you going to release my cache?"

"The same way I inserted the knowledge," Benson said in a matter of fact tone, "I'm going to need to put you to sleep and to have your friends leave. This procedure isn't for their eyes exactly, as it might affect them emotionally."

Rolf, Eddy, and Kevin nodded, taking their leave and exiting the room, deciding to wait in the storage area until the procedure was complete. Sitting around, they inspected the gunpowder and tools, which looked nearly brand new.

Of course, since the resident was a doctor.

* * *

><p><p>

"Sir, how should I go about the plan?" Billion said as he walked into Regal's throne room. Regal was seated in his chair with Jimmy chained up in the corner, his shirt still off and his stomach showing that he was starving.

Regal smashed his fist on the armrest and stood up, his dot dark red, "Figure it out yourself! Prometheus wants the child soon so that we can leave this forsaken world and do what's best for our race."

Surprisingly, Billion didn't flinch. He stood his ground, his armor ready for anything, "But I don't want to piss you off like I apparently always do."

In a fit of rage, Regal launched a punch at Billion, who blocked it with his forearm without moving or flinching. As a counter, he sent his fist into his boss' stomach, sending him back into his throne, his dot turned black.

"Like I said, I apparently always piss you off." Billion said with a smirk.

Regal got up and breathed heavily, "I'm glad you've decided to man up, but I'm quite surprise by how fast you were able to do it. Either way, I guess I could give you a few pointers."

"Very well. Begin with your words of knowledge, sir." Billion said calmly.

* * *

><p><p>

The top of the office building gave off a beautiful sight for anyone who decided to climb up to it. Being the tallest building in Peach Creek City, it would be a daring task for anyone who wanted to take the stairs.

The four teens that stayed behind left Cardinal in the kindergarten room since he would wake up soon. Sitting on the edge of the building and looking at the stars that shone brightly in the night sky, Double D smiled as he relaxed, relieved that all was right at the moment yet again. The same went for the other three.

"Will we win, Double D?" Johnny asked, holding Plank in his arm while constantly yawning.

Edd smiled and nodded, "I think we will. With Ed, Cardinal, and Dr. Benson, we should be able to win. Also, remember the way Regal acted when Ed won that battle at the crater?"

The three nodded.

"I think Ed may have gotten Regal to change his mind on who's side he's on." Double D said with a smile before being booed by the other three.

"You really believe in that, eh? That's a bunch of bologna." Sarah said to the others agreements. Double D sighed and looked out over the apocalyptic city, depressed that they might be right. However, that was no reason to stop thinking that it could be possible!

A noise could be heard behind them, like a door creaking open slowly. The teens turned around and saw Cardinal step out from behind the door that connected the roof and the inside of the building. The teens stood up and gave Cardinal, who was confused, a hug.

"Where are we?" The adult asked.

"We're in Peach Creek City. Dr. Benson is supposed to be here, so Ed, Rolf, Eddy, and Kevin went to find him in some warehouse. They'll be back in no time." Nazz said with a smile before starting to cough.

Cardinal nodded, "Well, let's hope that's the way it stays. I don't want Regal to attack while we're separated. That would be terrible." He said, thinking about the battle with Deadwing.

Slowly, night turned to day and the teens that had left were still gone. Double D and Cardinal suggested looking for them but the others voted for waiting, thinking that they can handle finding their way back by themselves.

Too bad they didn't look at the sky.

* * *

><p><p>

"Alright, let's take a look here..." Benson said, using a machine called a Drone Collector, which was a metal tube that was connected to the doctor's index finger and into Ed's throat. It took only a matter of minutes for Ed to fall asleep, but it took a long time to connect the end of the tube to Ed's cache.

Closing his eyes, Benson saw images of all sorts of things that belonged to the minds that he had given to Ed. Equations, ideas, crowds of people, the president, water, a giant, the sky, and... His house.

Benson opened his eyes and began to think about things before figuring out what those images really meant. Forcing the tube out of Ed, the teen woke up and began to constantly throw up for about a minute on Benson's floor. After stopping, Benson threw the Drone Collector away and opened the door, "Ed, we must get to my house soon."

Ed stood up and began to walk to the door when he heard something explode outside, shaking the foundation of the warehouse, "What was that?"

Benson stood in the doorway and ran to the window, seeing a cloud of smoke engulfing the building, "I dunno. Could be a-" Another explosion was heard and caused another tremor, shaking the warehouse even more and forcing him to evacuate the entire building. Running into the streets, Ed saw the other teens and Cardinal on top of the building, pointing to somewhere near them.

"No more running, Edward Irons. I shall get you and please Regal." A voice said from around the corner. Billion slowly stepped out into the open with an army of Silver Clones behind him, their dots flashing from white to yellow rapidly.

Ed frowned and stared at the armor clad enemy, "And who just might you be?"

"Call me Billion. A good way to remember that is that you have a one in a billion chance of escaping." He said and sent the clones at the group.

**To be continued...**


	16. City of War Pt1

**Here we go, Part 1 of the City of War two-parter. This is definitely the biggest battle yet, so if you're interested in the story then I'd suggest viewing this. **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Ed stood there with Kevin, Rolf, Eddy, and Benson, watching as the Psychometric approached them with hundreds of minions behind him, their dots flashing from red to blue to green to red again. They constantly stomped their feet and chanted some sort of foreign language while their leader smirked at the teens.<p>

"Who are you to talk to me like that?" Ed demanded.

Billion scratched his chin, "I am PT-344, commonly referred to as Billion. I have come here for you, Edward Irons, and if you do not come calmly, then I shall have to destroy all of your friends and then take you."

Eddy stepped to the front of the group, beside Ed, "Nice try, but you can't do squat. We've gotten this far, destroying everyone that has come to destroy us!"

"Well, this'll be a first, then." Billion said and quickly kneed Eddy in the stomach, forcing him backwards, into Rolf. The two fell down on their back and watched as Billion approached Ed slowly.

"Don't hurt us and we won't hurt you." Ed said in a fighting stance.

"There is no chance that you can do damage to me and my army. I have been promoted through the ranks and have completed all duties for my captain, Regallis. I shall not fail." Billion said, copying the stance.

"You really are persistent, huh?"

Billion laughed, "Enough talk. Time to die." He said and launched at Ed, who merely stepped aside and let the villain fly into the wall of a nearby brick building that was slowly crumbling.

"Guys, run!" Ed shouted. The teens nodded and began running the opposite direction of the army. Billion quickly got back to his feet and watched as his army stood there, dumbfounded.

"Don't just stand there; Kill them all!" He said and watched his army run at high speeds towards the teens, clueless of anything around them.

* * *

><p>Cardinal and the teens atop the tower watched in horror as their friends were being chased by Regal's army. Everyone wasn't familiar with the city, so escaping them was going to be an extremely challenging task, "We have to save them!" Nazz said.<p>

"Not yet. They can handle this by themselves." Cardinal said. As soon as he replied, a building near where the teens in the street were collapsed, emitting a massive cloud of smoke in the area.

Everyone looked up at Cardinal, who was staring in shock.

"Never mind. Let's go." He said to everyone's sigh. Immediately jumping over the side of the building and grabbing onto a ledge, the teens made their way to the streets one-by-one. Once there, they looked around for the others before spotting Billion in the distance, staring them down.

Double D stepped in front of everyone, "Run, guys!"

Cardinal grabbed Edd's shoulder, "Screw the bravery crap, Edd. We are up against a servant of Regallis; We don't need you dying now!"

"Let go of me!" Double D shouted before a large cloud of dust blew over all six of them. When it cleared, they saw Billion in the middle of their group, his hands ready to blow them all apart.

"I've finally caught you pricks. Will we commence the end of your lives now?" The villain laughed and charged up a blast. The teens began screaming until Double D launched himself out of Cardinal's grip and onto Billion, sending them both to the ground and cancelling Billion's explosion.

"Run like hell, guys!" He shouted as everyone ran in fear while Edd remained behind, distancing himself from the cyborg minion, who was slowly getting to his feet. Staring at the sock head teen, he laughed and began charging up again.

Stepping forward, he cracked his knuckles, "Run, boy. You have just made me as angry as I'll ever be! I will now destroy you with a single blow, and then slowly kill all your friends and destroy this filthy planet!"

Double D raised his fist and sent it into his enemy's face, sending him back and cancelling the explosion again, "Shut up. I won't let you do such thing, you specimen! My friends have each other, and as long as that lasts, you can't do a single thing to them!"

"I'd beg to differ." Billion grunted and sprinted at Double D, his fists glowing red.

* * *

><p>"Where are we going, monobrow?" Eddy screamed as the Silver Clones kept up their speed, slowly getting closer to the adolescent heroes.<p>

Ed looked around, sweating madly until he saw an alleyway between two buildings. They were still in good condition, so that would be challenging to give away their spot, "We need a distraction."

"I'm sure I can perform some sort of necessary action for assistance." Benson said and reached into his lab coat. Pulling out a portable radio and some steel wool, he removed the batteries and yelled for the teens to run to where they need to go and fast. Once gone, the doctor stopped in his tracks and turned around, making the clones stop in their tracks as well, preparing to attack.

Removing the batteries from the radio, he laughed and stared at the minions, who had no idea what was going on. Finally, he threw the steel wool into the front of the crowd and then the batteries, causing a large explosion to frighten the clones and distract them while Benson followed into the alley way, coming out the other side and into the streets where the teens were looking around.

"Well, what now?" Kevin asked impatiently.

"We have to find the others before Billion does." Ed said.

Rolf nodded, "Ya ya, we must keep moving! Rolf senses the number man somewhere nearby."

Eddy sent his fist into the palm of his hand, "Then it's settled! We have to find the others and get out of this hell."

"With the clones caught off-guard, we should be able to make a clean escape now." Benson said. The others looked at him and nodded, walking down the street, hoping for the best outcome possible.

* * *

><p>"I feel terrible for leaving Double D to face that man!" Nazz cried and coughed as they hid in an alley, resting on a bunch of barrels.<p>

"It won't be a problem for him, Nazz," Sarah said with a smile, "Double D was able to save me from Regal before, so what makes you think he can't save himself from a weaker one?"

Johnny nodded and looked at Plank, "Plank thinks that Double D is really Rambo and will-"

"Enough talking, Johnny." Cardinal said and looked out both ways of the alley, making sure the coast was clear.

"But Plank said-"

"Just shut up!" He shouted, forcing Johnny into a whimper.

The army of clones that Benson dealt with were coming down the street the alley was one. Marching and kind of limping along, they all didn't notice Cardinal, who sprinted back to the teens and forced them all into hiding. As they began to squeeze in between barrels, Sarah accidentally hit her foot on the wall and squealed, grabbing the clones attention.

"Now you've done it!" Cardinal said and looked around for an escape as the clones slowly piled in to the alley. Spotting a ladder, he ordered everyone to rush up it and onto the rooftops as fast as they can. It didn't take long for the clones to figure out where they had gone.

Once on the rooftop, the teens and Cardinal began sprinting across the building, hopping over any gaps that they came across. Finally, they stopped as the clones were far enough away. Resting on the edge of a building, they all sighed and rested, both Sarah and Johnny still whimpering from before. Cardinal, ignoring that he just hurt their feelings, began looking around the city for signs of where the others may have gone.

Nothing could be seen.

* * *

><p>"Get off me, you monstrosity!" Double D growled and pushed Billion, who had tackled the teen to the ground, away and got to his feet.<p>

"Monstrosity? I don't think that's a strong enough word." Billion said as Double D jumped at the villain but missed and landed on the ground beside him, "It's astounding that you won't die already."

"I don't need you to tell me what surprises you, bub!" Double D said once on his feet. Clenching his fist, he watched as Billion sent his fist into his stomach, forcing him into a wall and him to cough up blood.

Billion laughed, "Didn't expect that one to happen. Not yet, at least."

Double D, staring at the Psychometric with furious eyes, fell onto his stomach, unconscious. Billion howled with laughter before leaving, the night falling over the war-stricken city.

**To be continued...**


	17. City of War Pt2

**And here is the second part of City of War. While it may be the last part in the City of War chapters, it is not the end of the battle. **

**You'll know what I mean at the end. Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>The full moon rose into the sky, sitting in it's position, not a care in the world. Below it, however, there was a war occurring with the oddest of heroes who showed promise for everyone's futures. They were fighting not only for their world, but for their captive friend who was in trouble, in the depths of enemy lines.<p>

They were nearly adults.

* * *

><p><p>

"The clones aren't anywhere nearby, correct?" Benson asked nervously, looking around him constantly, "I'm just not a fan of travelling at night is all..."

Ed, who was leading the group of Eddy, Kevin, Rolf, and Benson, stopped in his tracks. They had reached an intersection, heading in all sorts of directions through the city. Which one to take was the challenge, "We need to find the others, but we have no idea where they are!"

"Well, we just have to think about it then, I guess." Kevin said, "They're not at the tower anymore?"

Ed shook his head, "I saw them drop down from it."

"Then we need to head to the tower if we want to find them." Kevin said.

"Rolf agrees with flat head Kevin." Rolf said.

Ed sighed, "Very well. I guess we'll move out in the morning." He announced and walked into a nearby alley, falling asleep on a bag of garbage. Although the thought of sleeping on a sack of trash ill-minded them, they needed nothing else but sleep.

* * *

><p><p>

"The moon sure is pretty tonight." Sarah said.

"Yeah, I'm glad that we can see it and not the stupid red sky." Nazz said to everyone's agreement.

Johnny laughed, "I bet Regal thinks he's gonna send the moon crashing down into the planet, huh, Plank?"

"How can you guys be joking around at a time like this?" Cardinal shouted, standing up and looking all over the city. Still no signs of the others could be spotted.

Nazz coughed, "Chill out, dude."

"Double D is in serious danger. When Billion finishes him off, we're next." Cardinal said and kept on looking, about to cry at the feeling of loneliness in what was one of the most populous cities in Rhode Island.

Sarah looked at the adult, her eyes wide with a blank stare, "What do you mean... Finishes him off?"

Cardinal looked at her, "... Nothing."

The three teens sighed and fell asleep, with Cardinal keeping watch. Nothing could be spotted in the streets besides the blinking street lamps, which there were few. Shattered windows and crumbling buildings really gave them the feeling that things were becoming bleak.

* * *

><p><p>

The sun rose into the sky the following morning, but the red sky returned as well. Benson was the first to wake up, surprised that Billion hadn't bothered to find them and kill them. The others woke up shortly after and stepped out onto the streets, preparing to make their way to the tower.

"Okay, what would be the fastest route there?" Ed asked, spotting the tower in the distance. They were extremely close to the center of the city.

"Wouldn't a run across the rooftops be the most effective?" Eddy asked to Kevin and Rolf's agreement.

"I guess so." Ed said and saw a ladder against an old pawn shop. Running over to it, he climbed it and began running towards the tower via the rooftops, leaving the others to follow behind distantly.

As they got closer and closer, the buildings they were climbing seemed to be getting taller and bigger, which was strange for a big city like Peach Creek. Finally, they stopped not too far from the tower, the glass on the lower levels completely shattered. Preparing to approach the tower, they heard muttering and laughter from below them. Looking down, they saw a small building a few blocks away with figures standing up and climbing down onto the streets.

"Friends!" Ed shouted, capturing Eddy and the others attention. They all quickly leaped down the nearby buildings until they were close enough to land on the streets without being injured. Turning around, Cardinal and the others smiled as Ed ran towards them, giving Sarah a hug.

"Ed, are you okay?" Sarah cried.

"Yeah, you guys okay? What have you been into?" Cardinal asked.

They stared at Benson, who was standing still, "Well, I might have caused a major distraction... But it was for a good cause!"

"So you must be Dr. Benson, huh?" Nazz asked.

The doctor nodded, "I am. I am most certainly glad you guys found-"

Cardinal leaped forward and grabbed Benson by the neck, lifting him into the air, "You bastard! You caused all of this to happen, so you'd better fix it!"

"Father, please!" Rolf shouted, "He is going to help us, but not when you're choking him."

Sighing, he set Benson down and apologized, "So, how do you plan to fix this?"

Benson nodded and pointed to the far side of town, opposite of the large tower, "Once we deal with Billion, we must return to my home in order to understand some things I have... Seen, as you might say."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing at the moment." Benson said.

Ed looked at the group and began feeling as if something was missing, "Wait, where's Double D? He was with you guys, right?"

Cardinal coughed and whispered into Ed's ear, "Double D remained behind to fight Billion. We were getting ready to go get him when you guys came along."

Ed nodded, "Where is he?"

"The tower."

Nodding, Ed stepped in front of the almost complete group and spoke, "Everyone, we must move out now! Billion cannot defeat us as long as we work together and don't screw around, alright?"

Everyone nodded and cheered as they all sprinted to the building, in hopes that their sock headed friend was still alive and breathing.

* * *

><p><p>

Completely alone, Jimmy lay in the corner of Regal's throne room, slowly dying from starvation. The white room not giving much of entertainment value, Jimmy was forced to sleep most of the time unless Regal has entered and began ranting.

The door opened, with Regal entering and sitting down in his throne, not giving a look in Jimmy's direction, "Fluff head, are you awake?"

Jimmy nodded, "Y-yes."

"Good. I didn't want to have to bury another prisoner alive again."

Jimmy's eyes flew open in shock at the thought of miles of dirt piled onto him while he was forced to slowly die, no one around but him but the worms.

"Now, have there been any messengers in here recently? I haven't heard back from Billion in quite a while." Regal said, sitting comfortably in his throne while waiting for a reply.

There was no reply.

Regal stood up and stared at the blue shirt child, who was slowly falling asleep, "Wake up! You will not fall asleep when I ask you a question."

Jimmy opened his eyes, both of them red from exhaustion and anger, "I'm a prisoner. I'm not supposed to talk to you."

"Except when I tell you to!" Regal said, grabbing Jimmy by the neck and holding him in the air. Jimmy raised his foot and sent it into his oppressor's face, sending him backwards and letting Jimmy back down.

"I want to sleep."

Regal, regaining focus, looked back at his captive who had curled back up in the corner and fell asleep, "Good riddance." Regal growled as he left the room.

Jimmy wouldn't last much longer.

* * *

><p><p>

"Double D!" Ed cried as he spotted his friend on the ground, blood all around him, soaking his hat. They had no idea what happened, but knew that he couldn't be dead. Not yet, at least. Ed ran over and crouched by his friend, holding him in his arms.

Opening his eyes slowly, he stared at Ed, his teeth bloody, "Ed... I don't wanna die..."

"I don't want you to die either!" Ed cried as everyone around him watched with teared eyes, fearing the worst out of the situation.

Double D chuckled and slowly stood up, still weak, "Luckily, I'm not..." Everyone smiled, including Ed, who stood up and gave his friend a hug.

"Double D!" Sarah laughed and hugged her love interest, "I knew you couldn't die! After saving me from that Regal man at the forest by making that forest fire as a distraction, I knew you couldn't die."

Everyone immediately frowned and stared at Double D and then at Rolf, who was staring blankly at Edd, "You... Started the fire... My Nana..."

Sarah and Ed let go of Double D, who was staring at Rolf in fear, "Rolf, I didn't mean it... It was a misunderstanding, you've got to believe me!... I mean, I would never-"

Rolf stepped forward and sent his muscular fist across Edd's face, starting up a stream of blood from his mouth. Cardinal and Kevin grabbed him and held him back from hurting Double D anymore, "You killed my Nana! You bastard, you caused my pain and suffering! I will kill you!"

Double D crouched down, Ed trying to absorb the bleeding with his jacket. Everyone else just stared as Rolf furiously tried to break free of his friends grip and attack Double D once again.

"Rolf, calm down! You're not helping!" Kevin shouted.

"Your Nana was dying anyway, Rolf. Nana is happier this way!" Cardinal said, thrusting Rolf backwards and onto the ground. Finally, he calmed down and remained in position, not moving but still breathing.

Kevin sighed and turned to Edd, who was bleeding and crying in front of the tower's doors, "Hey, man... You alright?"

Cardinal put his hand on Kevin's shoulder and pulled him back, "Let him be alone a bit. We should be more worried about when Billion is going to arrive to screw with us."

"Should be any minute. No one else to bother in the entire city." Benson interrupted and looked all around. It was about noon, and no sign of the Psychometrics were seen. The heroes were happier that way.

* * *

><p><p>

As the day continued on, the heroes rested. Waiting for their enemy to arrive, they made sure Rolf and Double D were seperated at all times, with Cardinal staying with Rolf and Ed helping Double D. The others rested and kept watch for Billion's arrival.

Suddenly, a stream of clouds appeared above with the sound of a jet. Looking up to see where it went, all they saw was a figure land in the distance, around where the desert was, "Battle stations!" Nazz shouted to get everyone's attention. However, a large blast and earthquake ripped through the city, sending them into walls. As the clouds of smoke and debris drifted away in the wind, Billion slowly approached through the rubble of the buildings he had destroyed, excluding the tower, which was still in fine condition.

Ed was the first to stand up, followed by Kevin then Cardinal. The others got up almost around the same time, with Billion standing and watching, an army of Silver Clones behind him, preparing for an attack.

"Came back to play more games, eh?" Cardinal shouted.

Billion shook his head, "I just want Edward Irons and that is all. However, you have ignored my cooperation and I have been led to this destructive path that should have never been discovered."

"Discovered? We knew you would cause a day of reckoning when we first saw you." Kevin shouted back, his fist clenching with scratches and scars bulging all over his arm.

"It's more complicated than that, forsaken humans. I was originally built for office duty in the Silver Nova. But then Edward Irons had to go ahead and screw with Master Regallis, causing him to go on a rampage and change me into a war machine. I was never meant for this, but all of you brought it upon yourselves." Billion said, stepping forward.

Cardinal stepped in front of the group, "We brought it upon ourselves to save this world from the immaturity of Regallis. You just had to come in and mess with the wrong survivors."

Billion powered up his fists, preparing an explosion, "You do not speak of Regallis in my presence. If you want to die so bad... Then so be it!" He shouted and launched forward, the clones following behind with the teens preparing for a massive war for survival in the ruins of Peach Creek City.

**To be continued...**


	18. Billion to One

**And here is the end of the battle. I really have nothing else to say but to read on. **

* * *

><p>Cardinal immediately blocked Billion's attempt at an explosive punch and force him off, getting into a proper battle stance. The others began to hold off the Silver Clones, making sure Cardinal wasn't interfered with.<p>

Eddy grabbed Double D and pulled him to safety behind a nearby building and ran into the battle, grabbing giant stones from the buildings and hurling them at the clones.

Nazz and Sarah ran behind multiple clones, pushing them over and tripping them while Ed and Kevin ran through and consistently punched them, whether it was in the face or the chest. Johnny followed behind them, whacking the dumb minions with Plank. Overall, the kids succeeded in making sure Cardinal wasn't attacked while dealing with the bigger threat.

Moving out into the nearby intersection, Cardinal stared down Billion and protected his upper body from the Psychometric's punches, which hurt due in part to the metal armor covering his body, including his hands and wrists.

"How much longer are you going to keep this up, Billion?" Cardinal shouted, getting the hang of Billion's attacks and power.

Billion laughed and launched another punch, "I'm not giving up until every single one of you are dead!" Cardinal blocked the punch flawlessly and stepped back.

"And how do you know that that'll happen?" Cardinal asked.

Billion stopped, "Because everything must run it's course." He growled and swiped his leg underneath Cardinal, sending the hero to his back. Lifting his fist, Billion smashed it into the human's stomach repeatedly, forcing out blood.

"You... Won't succeed..." Cardinal blurted, choking on blood.

Billion stamped his foot on Cardinal's neck, emitting a snapping sound. Cardinal stopped fighting and became completely still, his eye's losing focus, "I believe I just have." 

"Yo, some back up here, lumpy!" Kevin shouted as he blocked a Silver Clone with a nearby metal pole he found on the ground. The teens had moved the battle to the outside of the city, fighting on a large field of dying grass. Kevin and Ed were taking care of the massive groupings of Silver Clones while the others fought them off with smaller items like bricks and stones and simple shenanigans. The only ones not partaking in the brawl were Double D and Rolf, who was still in the alley that Cardinal had taken him to to separate him from Edd.

Ed ran over to Kevin, holding a stop sign, and began whacking at the clones rapidly, sending them back to the ground. Kevin went around and stabbed them in the faces with his pole, destroying them completely, "I think we have found a pattern!" Ed chuckled. Kevin smiled and nodded, continuing the process.

As the teens continued fighting for their lives, they failed to notice the tall figure of Billion, standing in the rubble, staring at them. As Ed turned in the villain's direction, he stopped in his tracks, as did everyone else. Staring, their stares became distant as they saw a body in his grasp.

"I believe I have won." Billion shouted.

Ed stepped forward, "Cardinal... No..."

Billion dropped the adult's body, the body falling into the rubble of the building. The teens became furious at the loss of their only adult leader.

"You bastard!" Kevin screamed and sprinted at Billion, preparing to strike him with the pole. Billion grabbed the weapon, absorbed it into his body, and kicked Kevin against the wall of a brick building. Eddy and the others followed behind and began attacking to avenge the death of Rolf's true father.

They didn't succeed. Nazz was thrown into a nearby manhole, Sarah was thrown through a window, Johnny was repeatedly hit by Plank-wielding Billion, Eddy was stomped on, and Ed was the only one left standing after everyone else had fallen.

"Edward Irons. The man this world died for." Billion announced.

Ed held the stop sign with an iron grip, preparing to strike down the Psychometric, "I will not fail like the others did. You can believe that much."

"Very well. I guess I won't believe anything else then." Billion said and grabbed the stop sign. Ripping it out of Ed's hands, he raised it in the air and smashed it straight onto the monobrow's head, sending him unconscious. He then threw the stop sign aside and looked back into the city, where he saw the weak Double D trying to walk to his friends. Billion slowly approached him, his fists clenched with excitement that he had succeeded.

As Billion approached Double D in the streets, the Ed-boy didn't take notice that he was in danger, "You... Hurt them..."

Billion nodded with a big smile, "I indeed did! And now you are the last one left. The only one that didn't do anything to contribute to his team! All you ever did was screw with them, helping us by sending the others in a state of pain!"

Double D looked at the ground, his nose still bleeding and frowned, "You're... Right..."

"I am, aren't I? You have done nothing of value for your team. No contribution means no point in existence." Billion said casually and powered up his fist to finish the sock head off.

"Lies." A familiar voice from behind the villain said. Turning around, Billion saw Rolf, breathing heavily with his fists clenched and his teeth bare. He was furious.

"Lies?" Billion asked, "More like the truth."

Rolf approached the villain, marching while keeping his head low, "Double D ed-boy... Thank you... You helped me understand... Life and death... Naturally..."

"What are you grumbling about now?" Billion chuckled.

"You!" Rolf shouted and pointed at Billion, "You killed my father!"

Billion looked back at the dead body of Cardinal, "That guy was your father? Man, that's priceless."

"My Nana died from a fire that was caused naturally... You murdered him! That..." Rolf said, clenching his fist until it was red, "Is completely different."

Finally, Rolf raised his fist and sent it into Billion's face, repeating the punch as fast as he could, the villain not getting a chance to fight back. Being forced backwards with each thrust in his face, the armor on his body came off, piece by piece. Blood ran from his nose and mouth, covering Rolf's fist.

Rolf stopped, waving his wrist around to ease the tension while Billion stood in place, shocked, "How does it feel now? The pain?... The torture?... No forgiveness?"

Billion smiled, "It feels nice."

Rolf, raising his fist once more, sent it flying into Billion's face, forcing his entire face to cave in, blood seeping out of everywhere. The body slowly fell off of Rolf's fist, falling to the ground in the same manner as Cardinal.

"Then you'll love where you're going." Rolf said and looked to Double D, who was coughing up blood on the ground. Rushing over to him, he lifted him into his arms and carried him to the grass. Bringing over a large rock, he sat down and waited for everybody else to wake up.

Regal was weakened. 

The evening quickly approached, with no one awake besides Double D, who was still coughing up blood. Rolf began to feel worried that they were all dead, but then he noticed Eddy's arm move slightly.

"Awake yet, flat headed ed-boy?" Rolf asked, sighing.

Eddy pushed himself up and nodded, "I... I think so..."

Rolf walked over and carried Ed over to a pile of wood, where Rolf was planning to start a fire for the night, "No need to sleep with fear tonight, Eddy. Billion is dead. Gone."

Eddy looked up at Rolf, who was sitting calmly on the rock, "You... Killed him?"

Rolf nodded slowly, kneeling down to begin lighting the fire, "That thing caused more pain to me than Double D ed-boy... Rolf will never forget that."

Eddy understood, remembering that Nana was killed by a natural fire. His father was brutally killed, "How long are we staying here?"

"Beats me. We seem to have lost Benson and Rolf is not sure whether or not the other kids are alive." Rolf said as a small flame began to grow constantly, sending smoke into the cloudless sky.

Eddy chuckled, "Well, I'm alive so there's hope."

As he finished that, he heard noises coming from within the city boundaries. The two looked over and saw a girl climbing out of the sewers, commenting on the state of her clothes and how she smelled horrible.

"Is that Nazz girl?" Rolf asked, running over to help her up.

Eddy followed behind and watched as Nazz lay on the ground, her face expressing disgust, "That is one trip I never wanna go on again. And I've had past experiences."

The two brought Nazz over to the fire to dry off as much as she could, waiting for the others to awaken. Finally, they saw Sarah limp over to where they sat and Johnny slowly rise from the ground. Kevin woke up, feeling pretty good for being pummeled to dust, and Ed woke up last.

Once they were all awake and surrounding the fire, Rolf looked at all of them, who were still mourning the loss of Cardinal, their only adult leader, "I don't know where to go from here." Ed said.

"He was... So nice..." Sarah said.

"He was pretty rad..." Kevin calmly and quietly groaned.

"Plank didn't like him that much. Isn't that right, buddy?"

Double D was asleep nearby.

Eddy remained quiet, as did Ed.

Nazz continuously coughed fiercely.

Finally, Rolf stood up and stared at the teens, "We shall not forget the man known as Cardinal. He may have been my father, but he was out of my life for so long that I never knew him. He was a friend and companion to each and every one of us... But that is why he was meant to go away forever."

Everyone stared at their foreign friend in shock.

"It was mainly destiny, you see. Rolf thinks that all of this was meant to happen for a reason. The apocalypse, the death of Nana, the destruction of this city..."

"Dude, it's not destiny. We aren't supposed to be doing this," Kevin said to everyone's agreement, "We're going against the laws and trying to destroy some paranormal thing that is trying to destroy this world. I say we throw in the towel."

"Not without Jimmy." Rolf clearly said.

"Well, of course, but..." Kevin trailed off.

"It is merely destiny. We were kept alive for a reason. Nana died for a reason. Father died for a reason. We are here for a reason. With each reason, we grow older and stronger, both physically and mentally. If we had remained back in our homes, than we would be dead, ya ya. But no; We're alive, healthy, and we're going to save fluffy head Jimmy and show Regal what's what!" Rolf said to everyone's shout of excitement. The enthusiasm they needed had come, and from an unexpected figure.

Finally, the fire began to die down, with the kids settling in around the area to sleep for the moon high in the sky, everyone had trouble sleeping. Not only because they were knocked out for quite a while, but because they were worried about the future. About what the Silver Nova held in store for them.

Would they succeed?

**To be continued...**


	19. Relax As Far As You Know

**Billion is gone and the teens are finally going to get a luxurious rest after all the hell they've been through. Of course, it won't last for long...**

**Just as a warning, a serious issue develops around one of the characters in this chapter. **

* * *

><p>The sun came up with a bright shine, the red sky returning once again. The teens woke up at around 7:00AM due in part to the trouble with sleep. They all awoke and looked around, trying to decide their next move.<p>

"Well, we're out of leads." Kevin said, noticing Double D was feeling slightly better but still sick out of his mind. Resting on the stone Rolf brought over, he remained silent for the rest of the morning, no one bothering him.

"Wait, where did Dr. Benson go?" Ed asked to everyone's shock, "We totally forgot about him with the trouble with Billion!"

"That old man ditched us for his own life!" Kevin shouted in anger, everyone agreeing and the group began ranting. Suddenly, they heard footsteps on the road and saw a tall body in a Hawaiian shirt and slacks.

"Don't be so hard on me. I was merely getting a vehicle for safe travelling." Benson said to everyone's sigh of relief. As they walked to him, the teens apologized for their behavior and looked at the 1948 Cadillac that he had brought from, presumably, his home.

"Where are you taking us?" Ed asked.

"My house. I'm certain that's the safest place to be while I perform my research on a certain subject that has arisen recently." Benson said. The Cadillac was parked right in front of the office tower where Dr. Combs, Benson's rival, worked. It was shiny, untouched from the disaster, and worked fairly well, it's gas tank almost full.

"Well, when can we leave?" Eddy asked, helping Double D over to the car.

"Not yet." A voice said from the doorway into the building.

Everyone looked to see Dr. Combs and the survivors behind him, all watching as they opened the doors to the car, "Well, Combs. What have you got to say this time? That I'm a terrible person?" Benson sharply remarked.

"You are the bravest person I have ever known." Combs said to the survivors agreement, "What you have done here was remarkable... Something I would have never thought to do."

Benson turned silent, staring at them in disbelief that the doctor had changed his ways over the course of the days in Peach Creek City, "You... Really mean it?"

"Of course. And the survivors agree. Right?" Combs asked, the survivors cheering him on with excitement and laughter. They all stormed out, hugging everyone with smiles of joy on their face. Toddlers hugged their legs while the older women made Eddy blush and the older men shook hands with Double D, encouraging him that he would become better.

"Don't forget about me." A female voice said from the doorway.

Rolf turned and saw his cousin, Ramona, in a wheel chair, her leg successfully amputated and her face filled with joy, "Ramona! Cousin, are you okay?"

"Rolf, I'm sorry about Cardinal... But I'm so proud that you were able to avenge him in such an honorable way!" Ramona remarked, leaning forward to give her younger cousin a hug. Tears dripped down Rolf's face as he smiled, knowing that he had the encouragement he needed to finish the mission and save the world.

As Benson watched everyone talk to each other and prepare to head to his house, he saw Ed walk over to him with a look of confusion on his face, "Are we really leaving them here?"

"What else can we do? The car will be cramped as it is and my house isn't exactly a mansion, so that wouldn't do. I know what you're worried about; I'm worried about it too, but there's nothing we can do to make this easier for them. We'll just have to wait until you have finished things here." Benson said to Ed, who completely understood.

Ed smiled as he saw his friends happy after several days of agony and death. Kevin was chatting about sports with some toddlers and teens while Eddy was "working the charm" on some teenagers a little younger than him.

"Dr. Benson!" Combs called out from behind the crowd of people, making his way through the crowd to his friend, "I'm so glad I was able to talk to you before you left. I am deeply sorry for the way I have treated you in the past... It's just that I was never that successful in the first place, so..."

"But you said that you were the top doctor in Peach Creek City back in your office!" Ed said with surprise.

Combs sighed and stared at the people he protected for so long, "I needed to get their attention somehow. I just don't think they'll want to remain under my supervision anymore now that you're the king of cool..."

"Nonsense." Benson said, putting his hand on Combs' shoulder, "They can't come with me because we have work to do. You're the man of the city now; You've got to take charge and do what you've been doing until this is all cleared up. Then, when it's all over... I can take you in as a pupil. What do you say?"

Combs looked up in surprise, "Really? I would love that!"

Benson nodded with a smile, "But only if, when I come back, every single one of them is alive. Understood?"

Combs nodded, "I will not fail you... I never wanted to in the first place."

Finally, it was time for the teens to say their farewells. Piling into the small, black car, Ed rode in the front with Benson as everyone else piled into the back, barely making room. Pulling out onto the main road, they continued to wave to their friends until they were completely out of sight.

"So, what is your house like, Dr. Mr. Benson?" Johnny asked, holding Plank in his hands.

"Well, it's small, surrounded by trees, clean-"

Everyone groaned.

"It's built on a lake-"

Everyone became more interested.

"And I have a bunch of boats."

Everyone cheered as they knew that the day would be one to remember.

* * *

><p><p>

As the Cadillac pulled into the shady driveway slowly, the kids all stared at the front of Benson's house, which was a one story, white brick house with three windows in the front, a green door, and no garage. Trees surrounded it, giving off a quiet yet safe feeling. As they piled out and stretched from the several mile trip from the city, Ed smiled and walked to the front door.

"I have the key." Benson said and pushed the tall one aside, shoving the key inside and turning it counter-clockwise. Pushing the door open, the kids stepped in, the clean, air condition blasting in their face. The floor was waxed wood, completely clean. In front of them was a large living room with carpets galore and a couch and TV, along with other assorted items of entertainment value. To the right of them was a hallway that led to the four bedrooms, and to the left was a kitchen that was connected to the main office of the house.

"Plank likes this place already!" Johnny shouted and ran inside, shooting his sandals off and flopping onto the green love seat against the right wall. The other kids slowly took off their shoes and explored the house, which was unlike anything they had seen before.

"Sweet bedrooms!" Nazz said before coughing again.

"Food!" Ed, Kevin and Eddy shouted in excitement before chowing down.

"What a clean bathroom!" Sarah smiled.

"Rolf likes the lake, yes?" The foreigner said, garnering the attention of the others. They all piled by the back screen door, looking out at the massive lake in front of them. The water sparkled, with no sign of life in it. The red sky was barely noticeable compared to the sheer beauty of the blue water.

Sarah turned around and stared at Benson with wide eyes, "Can we go swimming? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

"You guys need bathing suits, remember?" Benson said. Everyone hung their heads in realization that he was right: They couldn't swim in their regular clothes.

"Luckily, I have spares." The doctor announced excitedly, with everyone looking back up with massive smiles. Showing them to a large closet in the master bedroom, where he is staying, he handed each of them a swimsuit that was worn by a family member. Finally, after donning them, they all sprinted to the wooden dock, which was down a grassy hill, and jumped in, splashing water onto the wood and laughing for the first time in quite a while.

Benson looked from the screen door as the teens swam around, puling out inflatable chairs and toys and playing games like Marco Polo. Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him, and turned around to see Nazz, still in her regular clothes.

"What's the matter? You don't like swimming?" Benson asked.

Nazz shook her head and twiddled her thumbs nervously, "Um, not exactly... I just wanted to ask you what kind of things you did... As a doctor, ya know?"

"As a doctor? Why would you care?"

"I'm just... Interested. I guess it's always been a dream o' mine to be... A doctor, I guess." Nazz said, sitting down on the love seat. Benson sat down beside her, setting his feet on the coffee table in front of them.

"Well, I've done dental work, surgeries, births-"

Nazz coughed abruptly.

"Drug abuse counseling, teenage relationship counseling-"

Nazz continued to cough, worrying Benson slightly.

"I've taught at universities all over the world..."

Nazz sighed, staring at the coffee table while breathing heavily.

"And I've performed a few abortions a while ago."

Nazz leaped up and ran to the bathroom, vomiting into the toilet. Benson ran to her and watched as she cried into the toilet seat, "I'm sorry I... I ever asked..."

"Nazz, what the hell is going on?"

Nazz slowly lifted her head and stared at the doctor, "I need a favor of you..."

**To be continued...**


	20. Study Hall

**Yep, suspicions are answered in this chapter. **

* * *

><p>As the teens continued to swim throughout the hot day, the sun slowly fell behind the horizon and the moon took it's place in the sky, beside the Silver Nova. Getting out of their wet bathing suits and into warm bathrobes, they all sat around in the living room, watching Cartoon Network. Benson, who was talking to Nazz in the bathroom after she was done throwing up, brought out chips and dip and gave everyone glasses of water. Then he stood in front of the TV to divert everyone's attention. Nazz walked into the room right before he began speaking and sat down next to Kevin on the green love seat while everyone else sat on the rug and chairs.<p>

"Alright, I guess I should start to explain the reason why we came to my house at this time," Benson said. Everyone stared at him with interest in what he had to say, "I wanted to further my study on the usage of caches in people's own minds. I lost the tool that I was going to use on Ed back in Peach Creek City, so I was going to see if there was another way. Until my research is complete, I want all of you to stay within the house's premises at all times, not leaving the yard for whatever reason. I'll be in my office by the kitchen if you ever need me, but I would prefer peace and quiet. Understood?"

Everyone nodded.

"Excellent. With that, I'll bid you farewell for the night." He said and took one last glance at Nazz before entering into the kitchen, opening the fridge, removing the milk, and walking into his office. Everyone else began debating over the sleeping arrangements.

Eddy jumped up in front of the room while everyone began arguing, "Here's how it'll work, people. Me, Ed, and Double D will take the room at the end of the hall. Kevin, Nazz and Rolf will sleep in the room next to Benson's and Johnny and Sarah will take the last room."

The room was filled with agreement until Sarah burst into anger, "I have to sleep with baldy? No way, Jose!"

Everyone stared her down, and she nodded nervously in agreement.

"Then it's settled. I say we hit the hay early so we can prepare for whatever we have to do tomorrow." Ed said, and everyone made their way to the rooms. Nazz slept in the same bed as Kevin, but on separate sides while Rolf snuggled up under the mattress. Johnny set Plank down on the floor and used him as a pillow while Sarah slept on the single person bed. Ed took the main bed while Double D fell asleep in the corner and Eddy slept in a sleeping bag beside the bed.

Benson stayed up until 4:00AM, discovering things that weren't meant to be discovered.

* * *

><p><p>

Jimmy was feeling surprisingly well for being deprived of food and water. He was still shocked he had stayed alive for so long without either of them. As the night turned to day, he saw a new figure he had never seen before enter into the throne room while Regal was asleep, sitting straight up in his throne. The figure was tall with purple and white armors covering his body. He had a the bottom of a robe covering his legs and a pointed helmet. He carried a massive scythe in his right hand, a look of intent in his red eyes. The man walked further in, Regal still fast asleep.

The man poked the Psychometric with the butt of his scythe, startling him awake, "What? Where? When? Huh?" Regal jumped and shouted.

"Shut up, Regallis. You have failed me for the last time."

Regal stepped from the throne and to the other side of the figure, near the door, "Prometheus, I'm sorry for the large account of failures that have recently shown up, but that is just it. The people who are making these 'Psychometric Clones' are terrible at their job!"

Prometheus whacked Regal in the side of the head with the butt of the scythe, knocking him into the door, "Then I expect you to make them the best there is! I don't want to have to come back here every time you screw up."

With that, the leader of the Psychometrics disappeared into thin air, leaving Regal and Jimmy as the only ones on the level. Regal stood up and walked over to the small, shirtless child, noticing the small stomach, "You're hungry, eh?"

Jimmy nodded.

Regal kicked the child in the stomach, "Then stay that way."

* * *

><p><p>

Double D slept calmly, curled up in the same manner as Jimmy, sleeping his worries away. That was all abruptly ended when he heard Eddy shout, "Breakfast! Can't live without trying one of my omelets!"

The teens slowly and tiredly walked to the kitchen, where Eddy was wide awake, cooking his signature omelets at 7:00 in the morning. The kids sat at the table in the kitchen, with orange juice and other assorted breakfast foods while Eddy continued to cook, constantly sprinkling pepper into his food.

Benson walked in from his office, falling asleep on his work. Seeing the smoke billow from Eddy's creations, he quickly stopped the stove and ordered Eddy to sit at the table. He poured everyone some cereal and left to take a shower, which is what everyone was anxiously waiting for.

"Eddy, do you ever eat anything other than omelets for breakfast?" Double D asked faintly. Everyone looked at him, satisfied that he had finally spoken after being silent for so long.

Eddy grumpily stared at his cereal, not bothering to take a bite, "Well, it's the only thing my dad told me how to do. That and run a business. Neither actually matter, I guess."

Half an hour later, Benson left the shower and Nazz walked in. One by one, they took showers and hung out in the living room, waiting to see if Benson had discovered anything from his research throughout the night. Once Johnny exited from the shower and sat down on the carpet, Benson walked in with a pile of papers, all neatly stacked, and dropped them on the coffee table. He looked up at Ed and picked up a single sheet, with hundreds of words, all really small, engraved into it.

"What is that for?" Ed asked.

"This is the key to ridding the world of the Silver Nova, kids," Benson said. Everyone looked at him, their hearts pounding with excitement as they heard news that they may succeed after all, "However, it will take much more time in order to complete the necessary research. To sum things up thus far, there is another living thing in this area."

"Really?" Eddy shouted, leaning forward as did everyone.

"Yep."

"Is she hot?" Eddy asked. Everyone stared in disappointment.

"It, not she or he."

Everyone stared in confusion.

Benson sighed and picked up the papers, "Kids, there is a giant somewhere in the area and it holds the key to finding out how to restore everything to normal." The doctor then left the room, with everyone starting a discussion on if the giant really exists.

"They have to exist! How else would those people that write stuff get inspiration?" Sarah argued.

"It's called imagination." Double D calmly replied.

"Well, if Benson says it's true, then it has to exist." Kevin said.

"Yeah..." Nazz trailed off, coughing again.

"Plank wants to wrestle the giant until it's fighting for air!" Johnny exclaimed to everyone's laughter. After joking around for around an hour, the teens finally decided to head down to the water and begin another day of swimming fun.

They all donned their bathing suits quickly, rushing down and jumping in like a race. Kevin was the last one to exit, barely noticing Nazz sitting on the couch before he left. Walking over to her, he sat down and looked her in the eye, "Babe, what's wrong?"

Nazz looked at the floor, not wanting to see anyone, "Nothing."

Kevin stood up, "Something is wrong and I know it! Why won't you stop coughing? Why are you so quiet all of a sudden? Why won't you get help? What's going on!"

"Nazz is pregnant." Benson announced from the kitchen.

Kevin turned and looked at Benson, then back to Nazz, who was looked at him with a frown, "Is that why... You weren't swimming yesterday?"

Benson stepped further into the room and put his hand on Kevin's shoulder, "She stayed up in the house, discussing the possibilities of receiving an abortion from yours truly, but I don't have the right tools."

Shaking with shock, Kevin looked back at Nazz, "Who is... The father?..."

"You are, my child." Benson said quietly.

* * *

><p><p>

"Rolf finds the clean, blue water to be quite refreshing, yes yes?" Rolf shouted as he dove in, head first, to the lake, everyone already swimming in the area. The splash from his impact hit everyone, ending in a loud laugh. They all got out and started to dry, sitting around and relaxing on the wooden chairs.

As Johnny took a seat, he put his ear to Plank and then looked at Ed, "Ed, Plank wants to know where Kevin and Nazz are. He thinks that they're in trouble for doing naughty things."

The teens stared at Johnny in disgust that he or Plank would think like that. Ed nodded and looked into the distance, the waves of the water crashing to the shores of the other homes on the lake, "Well, we don't want to invade their privacy. We'll leave it at that."

The day dragged on, the teens getting bored of swimming and watching TV, hoping that Benson would finish his research soon so that they could destroy the Silver Nova once and for all. But like the doctor said himself, it'll take a long time.

But not too long.

**To be continued...**


	21. From Under the Sea

**Well, here we are: The longest chapter thus far! To be honest, I had a lot of fun writing this. All the references I got to include I thought were well placed, except for one that not everyone is going to get :P. Either way, I hope you enjoy this as the story is preparing to come to a close.**

**I do not own Ed Edd n Eddy and I do not own "Clocks" By Coldplay. However, I do encourage you to listen to the song. It's fantastic.**

* * *

><p>"Dr. Benson," Sarah quietly said, midnight slowly approaching, from beside the doctor's bed, "I had a nightmare."<p>

Benson, who was having trouble sleeping as well, turned on the light and looked at her, his bald head covered in scratches and his plaid pajamas not the most attractive, "About... About what?"

"Well, it had this giant thing run after me in the middle of the street. I kept on running, my shoes came off, I was about to run off a cliff when I..." Sarah's eyes became very watery, "I looked up and saw..."

"What did you see?"

"Jimmy..." Sarah said and began crying into Benson's shirt, him giving her a big hug, "I miss Jimmy!"

Ed's head appeared from the hall, looking in to see what was going on, "Am I... Interrupting something?"

Benson shook his head, "Sarah had a nightmare."

"Aw," Ed said and picked his little sister up, holding her in his arms, "What about?"

"Jimmy... He hated me..." Sarah moaned into her older brother's jacket.

Ed stared at Benson with wide eyes, realizing that they had nearly forgotten about the pain and suffering Jimmy must be going through. Carrying her to her bed, she quickly fell back asleep and Ed met up with Benson in the kitchen, the household still silent.

Sitting at the counter, Benson was wearing round-rimmed glasses and a white robe, holding a cup of coffee in his hand, "We need to get into the Silver Nova and fast."

"But how? You said yourself that we need to find some giant first and that's about as descriptive as you got! You need to tell us more if you expect us to succeed!" Ed shouted, quickly covering his mouth in fright that he might have woken somebody up. Luckily, they were all heavy sleepers.

"Well," Benson began walking over to his desk, picking up a bulky folder with the word GIANT written in big letters with a black marker, "I've conducted a large amount of research into the exact location of where it might be, but all results point to places that we would obviously see it. I think I might have to continue with my research, but I would like you to make groups out of your friends and explore the areas that I've pinpointed from my research. With your help, we could be in the Silver Nova as early as tonight."

Ed smiled and nodded, "Alright. I'll have them wake up early enough to begin searching. In the meantime, you have got to do your best in finding that giant. If none of the places we search are right, then we're absolutely screwed."

"I will not disappoint you, Edward Irons." Benson said proudly.

"Call me Ed, please." Ed said and returned to his room for the night, falling back to sleep instantly.

* * *

><p><p>

"Alright, guys," Ed shouted as everyone sat in the living room, dressed in that day's clothing, "We are going on a serious mission. We must travel to other parts of the area in search of the giant that Dr. Benson told us about. If we fail, Jimmy could very well be a goner. With that said, failure is not an option. If you return without finding anything, Benson will have another area for you to look in, and with that plan set, we should find the giant very soon. Everybody okay with this?"

"Just get on with it! Who's in what group and where are we going?" Kevin said impatiently.

Ed rolled his eyes and looked at a piece of paper in his hands, "Okay, um... Nazz and Johnny are with me. Eddy, you'll have Kevin and Sarah. Double D, I'm sure you can handle things with Rolf, right?"

Double D looked over at Rolf, who was smiling back, "I think so."

"Then screw motivational speaking, we need to get this done and fast. Eddy, your group will take the farm lands north of here. Double D, I want you to investigate the forest that is in the same direction as the farms, but a bit further up. My group will be investigating a supposed mountain that is rumored to be the location of it." Ed announced. With that, they all left, leaving Benson to research other areas to search.

None of the ones he found were right.

* * *

><p><p>

"Double D ed-boy, how much longer until we reach the green pastures?" Rolf asked, walking along a road with his friends Edd, Eddy, Kevin and Sarah to their destinations. Eddy's group was getting ready to drop off at the farm lands while Edd still had quite a ways to go.

Double D looked Rolf in the eye, "Not too long, Rolf. We'll be there in no time. And, hopefully, we'll find the giant and finish things soon."

"I agree. This is totally getting to be annoying." Sarah said.

"This stinks. It seems like Regal doesn't even bother with Ed anymore and just wants to kill us." Eddy growled, folding his arms and staring straight ahead.

"But keep in mind that unlocking one's cache is something never explored in the modern world before! Ed was gifted with the knowledge and memories of the greatest minds that ever lived, and if his cache is unlocked, then he might be the smartest person to ever live!" Double D said excitedly, obviously returning to his normal health.

Eddy yawned and saw the fences that blocked the farm from the road, somehow untouched. Jumping over the fence, he ignored Kevin and Sarah and walked right on ahead. Kevin stopped and looked at Rolf and Double D, "Stay safe, guys. Hopefully we can settle things soon and without any more deaths."

"I'm sure all of us concur on that, Kevin." Double D said with a smile.

Kevin looked confused, "We're what?"

Edd sighed, "Concur means agree."

The jock nodded and hopped the fence, eventually running out of view along with Eddy and Sarah. Rolf and Double D were left to travel another half mile until their destination was reached. They started walking again, seeing the forest up ahead, but their stopping point still distant.

* * *

><p><p>

"Boy, Ed, that mountain could be a giant itself!" Johnny said as they approached the trail at the foot of the mountain. Nazz was sitting on a rock, taking a long break while Ed examined the path, which looked rugged and dangerous.

"Well, I'm ready when you guys are." Ed said and started up the path. Nazz, while panting like mad, followed behind, next to Johnny. The group traveled up the path for a good ten minutes before being confronted by large gaps in the middle, with the only possible solution being to slide across the thin ledge. Those gaps weren't a problem up until one where Nazz nearly fell to her death until Ed grabbed her hand and pulled her up to safety. Panting and crying at the thought of nearly dying by nature, the group decided to take another break.

Looking up at the peak of the mountain from where they were, they weren't too far now. The path they were taking was straight through the rock, with both sides being solid stone. When to stop in case of falling paths became a bigger challenge than ever at this point.

Ed looked at Johnny, who was staring down the path. The teens were around half a mile into the air, the mountain reaching to about a full mile and a half into the air. Stepping to his bald friend's side, he looked at Plank, who was seated against a small rock, "How ya feeling, Johnny?"

Johnny looked at his tall friend, "Just chipper. Why?"

"No reason," Ed said and looked at Nazz, who was calmed down again, "Looks like we can start moving again. Let's hope that this giant decides to show itself soon."

Johnny leaned over and picked up Plank, "Hi Ho!" He shouted and ran ahead with Ed and Nazz following close behind. The path continued upwards, heading towards what appeared to be a tower at the peak.

Something was up there, but they weren't sure.

* * *

><p><p>

"This place reeks!" Sarah complained as the group made their way to what appeared to be an abandoned farm. A large, red barn house stood out mainly because it appeared to be untouched. A small, broken down chicken coop was floating in a water-filled trough that seemed to be filled with fungus. Eggs lay across the dirt, some cracked and some not scratched at all.

Kevin walked up to the chicken coop and pulled it out of the trough, "If only Rolf came with our group; We'd be set." He said and set the coop aside. He saw a gold key at the bottom of the murky water. Reaching in and pulling it out, it had the letters LOTTG engraved on it, "Found something, guys."

The other two walked over and examined the key, Eddy taking it into his own hands, "A key? To what? The last time I tried to find what a key went to, it turned out to belong to monobrow himself."

Sarah chuckled, "Well, monobrow isn't dumb anymore, so we can rule that out."

Eddy shrugged and gave the key back to Kevin, "Whatever. I'm going to see what is in the barn. You guys are welcome to come along if you want." Kevin put the key in his pocket and followed Eddy with Sarah. As they approached the front doors, Eddy pushed the doors open, creaking slowly until the dark room came into view. Sandbags filled the back wall while a wooden stair case led up to an upper landing made of old wood that was going to give in at any point in time. The ground was completely hay, which contrasted majorly with the dirt of the outside. Overall, the barn was very unusual, even for the apocalypse.

"Well, who wants to go upstairs first?" Sarah asked.

Eddy and Kevin stood in their position, sweating and shaking of falling from the height. Finally, Kevin gulped and stepped forward, thinking of what Jimmy might be going through, "I'll go." He said and walked to the first step. Ants crawled all over, perhaps even being termites ready to devour the dead wood in seconds.

"Move, moron!" Sarah yelled.

Kevin jumped at the voice and accidentally moved forward onto the first step. Freezing, eyes staring straight forward, he shook even more, looking down at his feet.

He was perfectly fine.

"Ha! Look at that!" He laughed, "God, this'll be a cinch." He said and took another step. Suddenly, the step gave way and completely collapsed, taking both Kevin and the entire staircase with it to the ground. Dirt filled the barn and quickly exited into the outside. Eddy, running through the smoke, pulled Kevin out from the mess, not terribly damaged but with a few bad scratches.

"What was that? Getting a bit cocky, eh?" Eddy snorted.

Kevin pushed him, "Enough! We need to get up there, according to little miss sister there, so find a way!"

Eddy rolled his eyes and looked at the sandbags, "The obvious choice." He said and ordered for the group to start piling them into a staircase formation. One by one, the supply was depleted until the back wall was completely bare.

"Let's go, I guess." Eddy said, signaling for Kevin to follow him up. When they reached the top, they saw more sandbags in the back, all stacked up on top of each other, collecting dust for who knows how long.

Kevin took a step onto the landing, "Come on, Eddy. If the landing can support the sandbags, then it can hold us. Nothing to be afraid of."

"But we might be the unnecessary weight! With our mass plus the sandbags, this whole barns could collapse and kill us. Look around and see if there is anything up there worth checking out." Eddy yelled as Kevin wandered the landing.

"There's nothing but damn bugs everywhere... Wait, I found something! I found something!" Kevin yelled in excitement, rushing back to Eddy and Sarah, who were waiting at the door. When he arrived, he was carrying a small red chest with light blue outlining, "I found this on a desk in a corner."

Sarah looked at him with nerve, "Do you know what that means?"

Kevin looked at her and then at the chest, "I need to open it?"

Sarah nodded and walked outside. Taking a seat on a fallen tree, Kevin took a seat beside her, followed by Eddy, and opened the chest. Inside, a slip of paper with cursive was neatly tucked into a velvet pocket. Taking the slip out gently, he looked at the cursive and was just barely able to make out the reading.

"What does it say?" Eddy asked, trying to get a glimpse at the words.

Kevin looked at the cursive, "It reads...

**THE LIGHTS GO OUT... I CANNOT BE SAVED...**  
><strong>TIDES I TRIED TO SWIM AGAINST...<strong>  
><strong>OH I BEG... AND PLEAD<strong>  
><strong>...A TROUBLE THAT CAN'T BE NAMED...<strong>  
><strong>...TICKING CLOCKS...<strong>  
><strong>GONNA COME BACK... TAKE YOU HOME...<strong>  
><strong>COME OUT UPON MY SEAS...<strong>  
><strong>AM I PART... THE DISEASE...<strong>  
><strong>HOME... WHERE I WANTED...<strong>

Eddy looked at Kevin, who looked at the words with concentration, "Those words sound familiar. Like I heard them before, but I can't remember exactly."

"It's a song by Coldplay. I listened to it all the time when I was little... But of what relevance is it here?" Kevin wondered, sliding the paper into his pocket and setting the chest down, "We should return to Benson and let him decide." He said and hopped off the tree, walking back to the house. Sarah and Eddy looked at each other and then took off after their friend.

* * *

><p><p>

"Rolf thinks Double D ed-boy is leading us in circles, ya ya." Rolf announced as the pair walked through the large woods, the ground covered in leaves. The trees were dead, the grass dying, and the leaves ripped by the bugs that ate them.

Double D rolled his eyes, "Well, it's kind of hard to find a straight path when we have no path in the first place!" He exclaimed and folded his arms.

Rolf laughed and swung his arm around Double D, "Nonsense, for I am the son of an agent. We just have to decide where the wind blows and..." He said before feeling a strong gust of wind blow through his blue hair. Footsteps rung in his head, with neither him nor Double D making any movement.

"What's wrong, Rolf?" Double D asked.

The foreigner began shaking radically, "The tall... man in a... suit..."

"Suit?"

"He's tall... Rather slender..."

Double D rolled his eyes, "Oh please. What's so scary about that?"

Rolf slapped Double D and ordered him to be quiet, "He's watching our every move... I should have known running into him would be common in the forest of the dead..."

"Rolf, you're starting to sound like Ed before his cache was messed with." Double D said and began moving.

More footsteps rung inside Rolf's head. Looking around anxiously, he saw a spiderweb in the distance, devouring a large tree, "It's a sign! He's here! He's followed Rolf into the new countries!"

Double D slapped Rolf, "Shut up so we can get out of here! It's pretty obvious that we'll find no giant here, so we might as well head back and get another location."

Suddenly, Rolf picked up Double D and began sprinting at amazing speeds, eventually bursting out of the forest and into familiar grounds. Wind blew through Double D's eyes, forcing them shut.

"Rolf, could you slow down a bit!" Edd cried as Rolf came to a stop.

"We're here!" He announced.

Double D opened his eyes to find himself on the driveway in front of Benson's lake house, "I guess Rolf sort of knew what he was doing, but only when he was in panic. Strange." He said and stood up, walking to the front door.

* * *

><p><p>

"A new location?" Benson said to Ed, who had returned with Nazz and Johnny after finding out the supposed tower was really a tree. The lack of proper nutrition was screwing with their heads now, "Okay let's see..."

"What areas could be possible?" Nazz asked, sipping on a soda at the kitchen table while Benson flipped through the papers. Ed was seated on the kitchen counter while Johnny was in the bathroom.

"I'm... Not sure. Oh, here; An old mall that is now empty! Check the hallways deep underneath to see if there could be a giant there..." Benson trailed off after realizing how absurd his statement sounded. Nazz giggled at what he said.

"Wow, that was stupid!" Johnny announced as he entered back into the kitchen, clutching Plank in his arm.

"Well, I can't think of anything else... I'm sorry guys, but nothing else adds up." Benson said and walked back to his office, taking a seat at his desk and staring at his lion-shaped clock hanging on the wall. A door was in the middle of the lion's open mouth, but it apparently didn't open. It looked as if it had a keyhole in the middle of the door, but he thought it was just decoration.

Ed walked in, depressed that they had most likely failed. Looking at the clock, he noticed the intricate detail of the hair on the lion and the condition it was in, "How old is the clock?"

"I found it when I bought the house. Apparently it's been with this house since it was first built in the 1700s." He said and began looking through his papers again. He began banging his forehead against the top of his desk in anger.

"This house is that old?" Nazz said, astonished.

Benson nodded, "That door in the lion's mouth really is a strange addition to such a marvelous treasure. I just wonder if that key hole in the middle really was for a purpose."

Suddenly, Kevin burst into the house and sprinted into the office with Eddy, Sarah, Rolf and Double D behind him. Panting, he held up the gold key, "This... I found... This..." He said and held up the key for everyone to see. Benson stood up and grabbed the key, looking at the letters engraved into it.

"Where did you find this?" Benson asked with a surprised look.

"The farm... Inside a trough..." Kevin said and pulled out the slip of paper, "And I found these words..." He said and handed the paper to the doctor who examined it.

"These are... Rather disturbing." Benson remarked, looking at each word carefully, "I still can't decipher them. This is quite exceptional! Great work, Kevin and guys."

Kevin chuckled, "It's a song, Benson. By Coldplay."

"Uh-huh. What's it called?" Benson asked.

Ed ripped the key and paper from Benson, "Clocks!"

Everyone looked at Ed in realization at the rare coincidence.

"And?" Benson asked.

"The lyrics must have some sort of purpose that we don't know. But the only way to know," He said and inserted the key into the keyhole in the door on the clock, "Is by venturing deeper into the meaning."

Turning the key and pulling open the door, he reached in and pulling out a small photograph which looked to be circa 1971, the same year his father graduated high school. The photo was of the lake they were situated on, titled Lake Ulysses. There seemed to be a large dark spot in the middle of the water, not visible from surface level.

"This photograph shows that something is apparently in the water of the lake," Ed said, handing the photo to Benson, "And then... The lyrics come in! Tides that I tried to swim against... Come out upon my seas... They must somehow be related."

Benson nodded and led everyone to the screen door, everyone staring at the lake, "So, you're saying that something lives under the lake?"

"Not just anything... The giant." Ed said.

* * *

><p><p>

Down at the dock, the teens crowded around Ed, who was looking into the water where the dark spot in the photograph was, "The giant might be here, but we have no idea how to bring him out." He said, staring at the dark spot several meters from the front of the dock. It became more visible, but still faint.

"Well, look at the lyrics again then." Kevin suggested. Ed pulled the paper out from his pocket and read the words again, trying to see if a clue was hidden within the words.

"Let's see... Hmm... Nope, nothing. All it says is about struggle and stuff. Maybe this is how he was put in the lake? I've always wondered how it was done. But other than that, nothing." Ed said, taking a seat on the edge of the dock, dipping his feet into the water.

Sarah stood up from her chair and kicked Ed in the head, "You idiot! You expect everything to be set out in front of you like a damn meal! You have the knowledge of the greatest people from history; Use that to your advantage."

Everyone suddenly began agreeing with Sarah, who smiled with pride as she realized she was the smartest at the moment. Ed stood up and looked at everyone, "What do you think I've been trying to do? I've been skimming through my knowledge all day in hopes to find something, but nothing!"

Sarah looked at her brother, "There has to be a way! We can't... We can't leave Jimmy to die in that hell in the sky!"

Ed put his hand on his sister's head, "Enough with the cursing. We'll find a way, trust me. We may not be the brightest minds, but we certainly don't give up."

"Then do something." Sarah demanded.

Ed nodded and turned to the dark spot in the water. Walking to the edge of the dock, he stared at the spot and focused his sight on it, "The water... It's not a wall, but it's own bridge..." He said. Slowly, he closed his eyes and lifted his foot forward, over the water. Everyone stared in confusion, trying to figure out what exactly Ed was trying to do. Finally, he let his foot drop.

It stepped on the water. Slowly, he placed his other foot in front and repeated the process. In a matter of seconds, he was stepped across the water beautifully as if there were stones guiding him. The teens stared in amazement, shocked by the marvel they were witnessing. Finally, Ed was standing over the dark spot in the water, staring straight forward. Slowly, taking his precious time, he switched to a crouching position then to a praying position, facing the sun in the distance. The kids stood up and stepped to the side of the dock, watching and trying to listen in on what Ed was saying.

"Oh great lake of the True Giant, summon thee giant for the end is thy only friend left..." Ed said calmly before standing up and returning to the dock. As he stepped on, everyone began congratulating him on such an amazing trick before he collapsed to the ground. Everyone gathered around as he slowly opened his eyes, looking at everyone and then towards the sun. Lifting his finger, he pointed, "There it is."

Everyone turned towards the lake as the ground began shaking violently, sending tides from the lake onto the deck and wetting the wood, including Plank. A large stone being, colossal in size and rugged in texture, it's face was carved with red, fiery glows emitting into the air. It rose to several miles in the air, looking like the tallest thing in all of Rhode Island by far. It stared down the teens, looking at each one of them at a time before looking eagerly at Ed, who was on his feet and not shaking like everyone else, including Dr. Benson.

"Yoooouuuu..." The giant growled, "Aaarrreee the child... Ooofff Opus..."

Ed shook his head, "My father wasn't Opus. My father was Cliff Irons, not Opus Irons!"

The giant looked Ed down, "Child..." It roared, hurting the teens ears. They all clamped their ears with their palms except for Ed, who continued to watch the giant's every move, "Yoouuu were meant to ssaavvee the planet... But iiss that the ttrruutthh?"

Ed nodded and stood his ground.

"Tthheenn let's see iiff yyoouu are the ttrruuee hero of eeaarrtthh..." The giant roared and lifted it's hand from underneath the water, causing a miniature tsunami that rocked the dock. The giant set the hand down directly in front of Ed, it open and meant to be stepped on, "I wish ttoo see yyoouurr ttrruuee face..."

Ed nodded and stepped onto the palm of the giant's stone hand. Looking at it, he noticed that the entire giant was made of Obsidian, but it didn't like it because of the sun glare. The monster was quite beautifully crafted. After easing a bit, the teen stood in place as the giant lifted the hand up to it's head, staring him down face to face.

"I see you." Ed said.

"Lleett'ss see if that rreemmaaiinnss..." The giant roared. Suddenly, it tensed it's hand, turning it into a fist and crushing Ed within it's solid fingers. The teens on the dock stared up in shock of their leader being crushed to death by the one thing that they had been searching for this entire time!

"Brother!" Sarah screamed at the top of her lungs. Nazz grabbed Sarah and they both looked away, crying in pain. Kevin and Eddy looked on with horrifying glances to each other.

"I can't believe that bastard!" Eddy cursed.

Kevin eventually hugged Eddy and began to, surprisingly, cry real tears. At that point, Eddy realized that Kevin had truly cared about the Eds the entire time and never wanted to show his true feelings. However, the time had come for nothing to be hidden anymore.

Ed was gone.

* * *

><p><p>

Double D stomped over to Benson while everyone tried to cope with the situation, "What the hell is going on? You said we were going to have this thing help us, not destroy us!"

"I swear, Eddward, I had no idea!" Benson said, trying to remain calm, "I don't get what went wrong!"

"How about that fact that our best friend was just crushed to death!" Eddy screamed at them, handing Kevin to Rolf, "The least you could do is show some sympathy, you heartless ass."

Benson was about to burst into tears as well before looking back up at the giant and smiling, "Take back those words. Look!" He said and pointed at the giant's fist that had killed Ed.

Everyone followed the direction he pointed and the fist was now gone and it was merely his hand holding a still alive and standing Ed, who had somehow survived the extremely dangerous crush. The giant laughed a deep laugh and flipped his hand over, dropping Ed into the water in front of the deck. Swimming back up to the surface and climbing onto the dock with the help of his friends, he looked at his friends who were all smiling and cheering, yet at the same time confused.

The giant looked down upon the teens again, "Yyoouu are the oonnee..." It roared. Suddenly, it moved it's arms into a cross position on it's chest and stared off in the opposite direction that the teens were facing. It's eyes rapidly flashed from Red to Blue to White to Gray to Black then, faster than the speed of light, the entire giant exploded, sending the shards of obsidian all over the place. Into the water, into houses, everywhere.

The teens continued to look up, blocking the shards that went at them, and noticed a tall, male figure floating in the air where the giant's chest was located. Slowly, it floated down to the dock, it's arms crossed and it's eyes closed. It had damp, black air stroked back along his head. He wore a black and red general uniform from what looked to be several centuries old, about the 1700s. It donned a monocle, which dropped and shattered into tiny pieces on the dock. As soon as it broke, the man opened his eyes instantly and stared at the teens with his clear green eyes, "Children."

Ed stood in the front of the group, "More like teens."

The man shook his head, "Nope. Adults."

"Who are you?" Ed asked.

The man cracked his neck, stretching a bit before looking Ed in the eye, "The tides have kept me down, the fierce waves crashing upon my grave. There is nothing like being called part of the disease, my boy."

"Are you referencing Clocks?" Kevin asked.

The man nodded.

Ed stepped forward, "That doesn't tell me who you are!"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" The man laughed and held out his hand to shake with Ed, "I am the son of a judge and a gatherer. I am siblings to a farmer and chef. I am nothing like them for I know the darkest secrets this corner of the galaxy. That doesn't matter, but my name is of severe importance," He said and smiled, "Please, call me Regal. Prescott Regal VII."

**To be continued...**


	22. The True Face of Hope

**Excellent news to those who care: I finished the rest of the story. It will be all uploaded in a week or two and no delays AT ALL. Please continue.**

**Oh man is this chapter important... If you are a fan of the story, this chapter is an absolute must as it really gives history behind the... Oh, never mind. No spoilers here, just read and enjoy.**

* * *

><p>The teens only stared, not trying to think of a single word to reply after hearing what the mysterious man known as Prescott Regal VII just said. Ed, eyebrow trembling with surprise, shook the man's hand and just stared, "Regal?... Your name is..."<p>

Prescott nodded, "Indeed, and there is an obvious reason for that."

"Not obvious to any of us, apparently." Eddy snorted.

"No, truly. When you hear what I have to say, you will understand the true meaning of the Psychometric race," The strange man said and sat down on one of the wooden chairs, "I am the heart of the giant, the heart of this lake... And, by some standards, part of the heart of the Silver Nova."

"Please elaborate." Double D asked and crouched down to listen to the man's story, as did everyone else. The man cleared his throat and began.

"I was born in the year 1744 in the country of the United States, as you guys know it today. I grew up in the countryside, hidden from the rest of society and so I was forced to entertain myself through the only possible way; Knowledge." The man began. Double D smiled as he listened to the man who apparently shared a similar lifestyle to the sock hat teen.

The teens nodded and listened along.

"What I studied was quite simply the most fascinating spectacle the world had never witnessed... The Silver Nova, the vortex connecting realities of mere fiction. What lies beyond it is mere beauty that is corrupted by those overrun with the madness of knowing how insignificant they are. In this case, the Psychometrics." Prescott said.

Benson stood up from his wooden chair, "I see. The Psychometrics are trying to infiltrate our world so they can become a true reality?"

"Not quite."

"Damn it."

The group laughed, "The Psychometrics originated by a human just like all of us, named Albert Prometheus Red, a scientist who was the first to ever show knowledge of the existence of the Silver Nova. However, the Silver Nova rumor became something like the Little Boy Who Cried Wolf... No one believed him and he went completely insane."

"And this is the Prometheus who is running this whole show?" Kevin asked. Prescott nodded and looked at the Silver Nova, which was bright white now, the sky still red.

"Eventually, Albert swore to himself that he would find the truth to the Silver Nova and prove it's existence to everyone. That all changed when, one day, he disappeared. No one knowing where he had gone, his identity was erased and he dropped off the face of the planet completely, being forgotten as the times changed." Prescott said and stood up, picking up a shard of obsidian off the dock.

Ed stood up from his crouching position, "And what does this have to do with you?"

Prescott chuckled and threw the shard into the water and looked at the group of teens, who were waiting for an answer, "Well, first of all, I want to tell you all that the Psychometrics are fake. Only their leaders are human, such as Prometheus and, of course, Regallis."

"How? He has the same body as all them!" Eddy shouted.

"There is more to it. I am a descendant of Albert Prometheus Red, and when I learned of his disastrous studies, I decided to finish them to figure out what he had discovered. After retrieving his notes from the remains of his burned house... The vortex appeared." Prescott said, looking at the water.

The teens stood up, Ed stepped in front of everyone, "You saw one as well?"

"Yes, and it is how I was trapped in this giant... When it appeared in the sky that dreadful night in 1765, I merely 21. I was studying the notes he had made when he appeared in my room, scythe in hand and his eyes piercing deep into my soul..." Prescott said, "It's the same house you heroes have been staying in."

Everyone looked to Benson, who was wide eyed in surprise, "I... Have been living in the house of a descendant of Prometheus?"

"Absolutely. What's worse is that the monstrosity known as Regallis was created in it as well." The man announced, making Benson nearly faint.

"How?" Everyone asked at the same time.

"He attacked me and cloned my cache, my knowledge, into a heartless being... The one that has been chasing you guys around this entire time. The one known as Regallis. In order to keep me out of his way, Prometheus forced me into the True Giant's body, burying it underneath the lake. Making sure I didn't break out, it locked me inside with an unusual key..." Prescott trailed off, waiting for one of the teens to answer.

None of them knew.

"What kind of key was it? Like, a house key?" Eddy wondered.

"Plank thinks it was a magic spell!" Johnny shouted.

"You all are wrong," Prescott said, "It was words."

Everyone looked at the ancient man, dumbfounded.

"Let me explain," He began again, "He was able to trap me inside the giant for centuries by locking it with words that my cache could not comprehend. Words that began to disappear from my vocabulary completely. And you," He said, pointing at Ed, "were able to access the cache that disappeared and release me. When you received that knowledge in the form of caches, you received mine as well and that is how you were able to save me."

Everyone looked at Ed, who was still confused, "I saved you?"

"Yes, and just about everyone else. As long as I continue to exist outside of the giant, then Regallis isn't as strong as he used to be. He is, in fact, weaker." He said. Everyone immediately stared at him with smiles.

"We've weakened him?" Eddy said, "Now's our chance to finish things!"

"Not quite." Prescott said before Eddy could leave.

"What do you mean?" Nazz asked.

Ed looked at the slip of paper and then up at Prescott, "Prescott... What is with these words? It seems like you left them but the song wasn't released until centuries after you were trapped. I'm just wondering..."

Prescott snatched the paper from Ed and looked at the words, nodding as he read, "Ah, yes... Opus left this."

Ed shook his head, "And why did the giant say that I was the son of this dude named Opus? I never met anyone before named Opus before!"

"Ed..." Prescott said, "I'm afraid that is not so."

Ed and Sarah both stood up and stared at the man, "What?"

Prescott looked at the paper, "These words... They have of most important meanings to what I had gone through all those centuries ago... The lights went out when the Nova appeared... I was cornered, isolated from everyone... I was forced under the sea by the tides of the seas... I begged and plead for forgiveness... I knew not his name, for he was a trouble that can't be named... I was considered a contribution to the disease known as the Psychometric race for being the real Regal... Home is where I always have been near, always being in the place I belonged, yet not exactly..."

"And the word Clocks referenced the photograph inside the clock inside the house, right?" Kevin said, folding his arms, "It was your clock!"

"Precisely. Edward, back when Opus had come to this house, he was considering buying it... If he had then you would have never been born. But he was somehow able to unleash me from the giant's slumber, the two of us meeting for the first time... He was my descendant, as you are." Prescott said.

Ed looked at the man with wide eyes and then at Sarah, who's lips were trembling, "You're... My ancestor? That means... I'm..." He trailed off and nearly burst into tears, "I'm Edward Horus Regal."

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Ed," Prescott said and hugged the teen, who was sobbing into his uniform, "But it had to come out eventually. I knew Opus would be leaving and he would go insane when no one believed that his ancestor was inside a giant at the bottom of this lake, so I had him write the truth and hide it inside the clock...Your father, Opus Regal, led you here."

"Then who are those impostors that I've been living with!" He cried.

Prescott looked at Sarah, "They're... Not your family."

* * *

><p>As the night arrived, the teens are headed inside as rain began to pelt down. Prescott Regal VII followed them inside to continue explaining while Ed isolated himself into his room, trying to cope with the fact that things aren't what they seem anymore.<p>

"Prescott, why isn't now the time to attack?" Eddy asked as they piled into the living. The time on the digital clock read 7:45PM.

Prescott cleared his throat and took a seat by Nazz, "Quite simple, really. While rain isn't a setback, how you're going to get into the vortex is."

Everyone looked at the ground, realizing that he was right. They had no way of getting into the sky that didn't involve planes, which were offline. They would have to spend that night thinking on how it would be done.

"Well, what would be the easiest?" Rolf asked, "Rolf always thought that flying would happen when pigs fly, but we can't wait for alchemy to dominate again, now can we?"

Everybody stared at him in confusion and then went back to thinking. Meanwhile, Benson decided to take a leave and check in on Ed, who was finally quiet in his bedroom, staring at the ceiling, his face expressing no emotion.

"You okay, big guy?" Benson asked, taking a seat in a nearby chair.

Ed, not moving his head, sighed, "Why would they never tell me? They know it's only going to be harder if I wait to learn. Why would they screw around with me and make my whole life... A lie?"

"Ed, you have to understand that whining about it isn't making it easier on anyone, especially your sister..." Benson trailed off.

"She's not my sister!" Ed screamed and stood up.

"I'm... Sorry, wrong choice of words!" Benson said as Ed sat back down.

"All those years of her torturing me... They made sense."

"Ed, do you need more time alone?" Benson asked, walking over to the door and preparing to leave.

"No," Ed said, "I want everything to be back to normal. And now."

* * *

><p>The night dragged on for everyone, for they knew that they would need to find a way to enter into the Silver Nova if they ever wished to finish the fight and save Jimmy. They even began thinking of what might come in terms of danger once they enter into the vortex.<p>

Death.

Truths.

Destruction.

Heart.

Soul.

And perhaps even the end.

**To be continued... **


	23. Last Stop

**Ah, look at how far we have come. Here we are at Chapter 23 AND the last chapter of The Quest for the Creator. Prepare, my friends, for the biggest battles of their lives are waiting for them.**

**Since I stated in the previous chapter that I had recently finished the story, feel free to PM me questions that you want answered in the Epilogue. I am going to have a little afterword, giving some insight to the story. Again, leave questions in either Reviews or Private Messages and I will answer them.**

**Read on and enjoy. Once again, I do not own Ed Edd n Eddy nor do I own Quahog (You'll understand in a minute or so).**

* * *

><p>The sun rose up into the sky, shining brightly through everyone's window, awakening them from their troublesome slumbers. Slowly crawling out of bed and bathing, they met up in the living room, where Prescott Regal VII had been waiting, completely awake, all night, "So glad to not be alone anymore!" He said as everyone walked past him and into the kitchen.<p>

Seating themselves at the table, Benson approached them with toast and milk, already dressed in his usual clothes and completely awake with an awkward smile, "What?" Eddy asked.

"I've got it." Benson said faintly through the smile.

"You've got what?" Johnny asked, "Plank can help!"

"Did you find more clues?" Double D asked.

"Did you get hurt last night somehow?" Nazz asked.

Benson finally broke the smile, "No, you idiots! I know how to get into the Nova!"

Everyone jumped up and cheered as Prescott entered the room, "Yes, we were discussing the situation early this morning in hopes to save that friend of yours before it's too late and came across the certain park that intrigued me to no end." The ancient man said and set a map down on the table for all to see.

A red pin was stabbed into an intersection a decent distance away from their location, "It's a park called Mondo-a-Go Go. It's just outside of Quahog, which is several miles away. If we want to get there and get into the Nova soon, I'd suggest we leave as soon as possible."

The teens all looked at Eddy, who began to sweat.

"What's the matter, Eddy?" Benson asked.

"My brother..." Eddy trailed off.

"Is a big jerk!" Sarah said.

Prescott nodded, "I see. Well, if you want to risk the life of your child friend for fear of another human, then so be it."

Eddy groaned and put his face into the table, "I hate the guy and he's gonna pulverize me if I show my face at that trailer of his again!"

"Eddy," Double D said, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder, "You've dealt with far more difficult tasks. What makes you think that he's going to be a pain for us? Plus, he may have been affected by the apocalypse, if you know what I mean."

"I know." Eddy said.

"Are we done here?" Benson said, picking up his car keys from the counter, "Cause we kinda need to get a move on."

The teens nodded and piled back into the car, Benson driving and Prescott in the passenger seat. The teens tried their best to fit big Ed into the bag, but failed and resorted to him riding on the roof and signaling if he sees anything. With everyone in, they took off down the road, heading in the direction of Peach Creek City, but taking a right before entering the destroyed metropolis and heading into farm country, similar to the one that Kevin and his group had explored previously.

"Hey, Plank wants to play a game!" Johnny shouted, hurting everyone's ears, "Anyone have a suggestion?"

"Oh, I have a great game from my childhood!" Prescott said and turned around to face the teens, "It's where you have to count from one to one hundred, but the next person has to say the next number in a different language!"

"Boo!" Sarah complained.

"Snoresville!" Kevin insulted.

"Sounds intriguing!" Double D complimented.

"How about truth or dare?" Nazz asked.

Everyone chanted with a "Yeah!".

"Won't that be hard inside a building, yes?" Rolf wondered.

"We're in a car, Rolf." Kevin replied.

"Is that what I said?"

"No, you said-"

"Enough!" Benson angrily shouted, hurting everyone's ears again, "Can't we just have a simple conversation for once? God, whenever we're in freaking car."

"Jeez, you sound like my dad." Kevin laughed.

"Where is your dad now?" Benson angrily replied.

Kevin became silent with everyone looking at him.

"Well, this just became serious, eh?" Prescott scolded.

"Um... Wrong thing to say?" Benson apologized.

For the rest of the ride, the group of heroes were almost completely silent, not making a word or sound. Nazz stared out the window at the fields that were now dead and absent of farm life. Rolf began thinking about the animals he used to take care of like Wilfred and Victor and where they might be at the moment. Eddy fell asleep on Double D's shoulder. Edd tried to play Prescott's childhood game in his head. Kevin brushed the inside of his hat with his fingers, and Johnny held Plank up to the window to look outside.

Ed stared straight ahead as the car sped through the winds, his eyes slim while trying to keep watch for the park. They remained in a particularly healthy forest with trees still standing up straight and green as ever. Few birds flew past the car and disappeared instantly. Eventually, as they approached a steep hill going downwards, he noticed a massive body of water, perhaps an ocean even. Quickly, he leaned over by Benson's window and tapped to open it. Once it was completely down, he leaned in, "I see the ocean! We're close!"

Benson nodded and sped up even more, advancing to over 100mph. As they sped down the hill at impeccable speeds, the teens developed goosebumps that lasted the rest of the ride. Once at the bottom of the hill, they came across a clean intersection, going left and right, but not forward.

"Which way, guys?" Benson asked.

"Try the left!" Kevin shouted in his ear.

"No, right!" Johnny shouted, hurting everyone's ears again.

"Neither," Eddy said as he stretched from his sleep, "There's a dirt path going through the woods that can reduce our trip to the park by half an hour. It's straight ahead."

Benson nodded and looked closely, seeing a small dirt path going downhill through the woods, "Looks like we'll be making the rest of the way on foot."

The group exited the car and proceeded to stretch for several minutes, Ed pushing the car to the side of the road and meeting up with the others, "We're almost there, right?"

"That's right. One step closer to the Silver Nova!" Prescott shouted in excitement as everyone yawned.

"Um, sorry for sounding quite rude," Double D began, "But how exactly are we going to get into the Nova from an amusement park? It just doesn't add up in my mind."

"I knew one of you would eventually ask that. Come, I shall explain as we venture into the woods," Prescott replied, "In order to reach the Nova, we don't necessarily need to go directly into it. We just need to have high enough altitude that you guys can summon yourselves into it."

Johnny laughed, "Summon? Like in the movies!"

"No."

"Aw." Johnny moaned and continued walking down the dirt path. It wasn't very clean, with sticks blocking their way and having to be cleared every now and then. The trees provided shade from the daring heat of the sun, making the trip through the woods much easier and relaxing.

"Well, Johnny sort of raises a good point," Double D said, "How are we going to go about summoning ourselves into the vortex? Like a spell or something?"

Prescott shook his head, "Think about the giant."

"Words!" Sarah shouted.

"Precisely. Ed should have a certain chant that acts as a password into the Nova. Once high enough altitude is reached, he must merely use the chant and you should be in." Prescott concluded. Everyone nodded understandingly, with Ed already starting to circulate through his cache, looking for the right chant. However, as he began, the path ended at a large, grassy hill overlooking the park.

"We're here!" Benson shouted.

"Here I come, Jimmy!" Sarah shouted and sprinted off down the hill. The others followed behind in a more casual fashion, while Eddy trailed behind, eyeing the whale-shaped trailer in the center of the park.

* * *

><p>Walking along the boardwalks, looking at the vacant stalls and rides, the heroes did get the feeling of complete loneliness in the park. What was usually a bustling tourist trap full of amazing rides was now a ghost town, filled with nobody. The heroes preferred it that way, since it made getting into the Silver Nova all the more easier.<p>

"Well, where should we go?" Ed asked, looking at the Ferris Wheel and the roller coasters that immediately caught everyone's attention for being so tall.

"Well, we need to get on the tallest of the attractions if we want to get the highest altitude as possible. I don't know which one is the tallest, and I have no idea how to operate these contraptions, so we would need some assistance on that part." Prescott announced as they came across the center of the park and the whale trailer.

"Eddy," Nazz said and approached the back of the trailer, which was situated on dead grass, "Wouldn't your brother know how to do that stuff?"

"... Yeah." Eddy grumpily replied. The group rushed to front door of the trailer, which was crudely put back on after Ed ripped it off on their first encounter with the mysterious fellow. All the decorations that originally were shown were now gone.

Knocking on the door, no one replied at first. Eddy stood in the back of the group, with Benson and Prescott leading them. Finally the door opened slightly before coming off altogether. Eddy's Brother could be seen by the sunlight, wearing blue striped pajamas and his plaid hat, his sunglasses off. He had just been woken up.

"Damn it, not the door again..." He said before looking at the group, "Aren't you those twerps from the cul-de-sac? I don't know you two, but you guys look like pedophiles!"

"Shut up and get out here." Benson said firmly. Eddy's Brother nodded and stepped out of the doorway, stepping onto the grass and catching a glimpse of Eddy's head.

"That you, lil bro?" He asked before reaching in and dragging him out, "Man, when was the last time I saw you? Oh, right. When you completely humiliated me!"

Before continuing to pulverize Eddy, his brother looked over at the group, who were staring at him ferociously, ready to fight back against him, "Put him down this instant." Double D growled.

Eddy's Brother nodded and set him down, stepping back and taking a good look at everyone, "What do you guys want from me? I didn't do anything, I swear!"

"Listen, you train wreck-" Prescott began.

"The name's Travis."

"I don't care. We need to get into that vortex in the sky and now. Which one of these rides is the tallest?" Prescott demanded.

Travis shrugged his shoulder and looked into the sky, "Oh, that swirly thing. Wait, you're trying to go in there? You guys are no astronauts!" He laughed before pointing at Eddy, "Especially you, ya little runt!"

"That is quite enough, Travis," Benson nagged, "I'll have you know that Eddy has been through more than enough than you could handle. He's trying to save the world, while you are acting like a terrible role model!"

"You know I can kick you out of this park if I wanted to." He replied, cracking his knuckles and approaching the elderly doctor, who backed up in fear.

Ed stepped out of the group and grabbed Travis by the collar of his shirt, pushing him against the wall of the trailer, "You bastard, do you have no friends? Huh? We're trying to save your sorry little ass but you show no one respect, not even your own sibling! Tell us where to go to ride the tallest attraction, work it for us, and stop complaining about the smallest things in life!" He shouted before throwing the bully to the ground.

Travis' clothes were now covered in dirt and grass stains. Slowly getting to his feet while keeping his eyes on Ed, he back up and looked toward a roller coaster in the northwestern corner of the park, "T-That one... It's called the Requiem Whiplash and it's the tallest thing you'll ride in the state of Rhode Island!"

The group nodded, "Very well. You know how to operate it, right?" Prescott asked.

The bum nodded, "Yes... Would you like me to?"

"Of course, you dimwit." The group echoed. Travis immediately turned around and hurried over to the roller coaster's command terminal, covered in switches and buttons all over. Standing on a podium next to where the seats for the coaster were waiting, he began flipping switches until the group heard the loud movement of gears starting up.

"Excellent. Then we'll go ahead and board, right?" Ed announced while walking to the front of the seats, preparing to get in before seeing the entire group stare up into the sky in horror, "What is it? What's happening?"

"They're coming!" Kevin shouted before the boardwalk was stricken by a large tremor, followed by a massive dust cloud, blinding everyone's sight temporarily.

* * *

><p>"Everyone okay?" Ed asked, standing up after the dust cloud disappeared. The entire group, including Travis, had fallen onto their stomachs from the tremor. Slowly they got up and began making sure everyone was alright. Finally, they looked over at a gaping whole in the middle of the park that devoured most of the buildings, including Travis' trailer, leaving only the water underneath.<p>

"My house!" He cried as he stood up.

"There are more important things to worry about," Eddy said, stepping onto the podium and turned his brother's head to across the hole, "Look!"

The Silver Clones had returned, dozens of them, in battle stance. They three dots rapidly changing colors, showing they were confused at the moment, "We need to get out of here now!" Ed shouted, running to the front of the roller coaster cars again.

"Monobrow, we have to deal with these dudes first!" Kevin said.

"Aw," Ed groaned, "I just want to ride the ride already!"

Kevin quickly pulled Ed out of the car and placed him within the group, watching as the clones slowly approached them, half on one side of the hole, half on the other, "Okay... Me, Ed, Eddy, Nazz, and Sarah will deal with these!" Kevin said, "Double D, Rolf, Travis, Prescott and Benson can take the others. Alright?"

Everyone nodded.

"Then let's do this!" He shouted as the groups charged at the two teams of clones, who's dots had turned to red, which meant they were angry.

They wanted to kill.

* * *

><p>"Sarah, you got them?" Nazz asked as she pushed another clone into the massive hole, drowning them in the water underneath. Sarah was stepping away continuously from a clone, waiting for the right moment to pounce.<p>

She shook her head, "I got this!" She said and leaped at the clone, knocking it over and crashing it through the boardwalk and making another smaller hole. The two girls high fived each other and raced over to assist the others, who were handling things just fine. Kevin was fist fighting two at the same time, Eddy was somersaulting into multiple of them, tripping them up and rolling them into the water. Ed was breaking their limbs, one by one, and Nazz and Sarah eventually joined in by finishing off the ones that were still alive. Once most of the clones on their side were finished, the group glanced over to see how the others were doing.

Double D was using the same tactic as Eddy, Benson was kicking them into the water, Rolf was literally ripping them apart, Prescott was using some type of martial arts on them, while Travis was in the back, unsure of what to do. Quickly, Eddy ran over to him, escaping the grab of a random clone that was attacked by Kevin, "What are you doing? We need all the help we can get to finish these guys off!"

Travis shook his head, "I can't... Deal with this all at once! I have no idea whatsoever about any of this! What happened? Why the hell are you and a bunch of your friends destroying those... Those... Things?"

"There's no time to explain." Eddy said and turned around to find everyone coming towards the two, the clones gone from sight. They were completely defeated, thus they could proceed with the roller coaster.

Travis returned to his spot on the podium and began flicking switches again. As the kids got in, they noticed Nazz standing over by Dr. Benson, away from the Requiem Whiplash, "Come on, Nazz! The ride's about to start!" Eddy called out.

She shook her head, along with Benson. However, this time she smiled and looked at them all, "I... I can't..."

"Why?" They all chorused.

Kevin, sitting in the back of the roller coaster, sighed and began to explain, "Guys... Nazz is... She is, uh... She's kind of..."

"I'm going to have a baby." She said.

Everyone stared at her, wide eyed and jaws dropped.

"What!" Eddy shouted in shock.

"And... I'm sort of... The father." Kevin muttered, scratching his neck nervously.

Double D was about to ask more questions before remembering back to the first day of summer, where he saw both of them in one of their bedroom's. It all made sense to him now, "Then... You're staying here, I guess?"

"That's the idea." Prescott said, walking over to the group from where he stood by the podium, "Benson, Travis, and I will be remaining behind to watch over Nazz while you guys go on and finish this mess. We'll be waiting for you."

Ed nodded, "We won't let you-"

Suddenly, the boardwalk began shaking violently again, as if a natural earthquake was occurring. The massive hole in the middle of the boardwalk began spreading wider, getting closer to the roller coaster as the earthquake dragged on.

"The boardwalk is collapsing!" Nazz cried, "Hurry the hell up, Travis!" She screamed as Travis flipped on the gears again, starting up the coaster and preparing to send the cars forward.

Before hitting the START button in the center of the terminal, he took one last look at Eddy, "Kiddies, please keep your hands in the car at all times... And enjoy the ride." He calmly said and slammed his palm onto the red button, launching the cars forward at medium speed so that Ed had enough time to use the chant. Before the hole in the boardwalk got so close that it blocked off Travis' exit, he leaped over to Benson, Nazz and Prescott as they began running to safety, watching as the cars on the roller coaster flew forward, nearing the top of the roller coaster.

"Good luck, men." Prescott said to himself.

* * *

><p>The Silver Nova looming in the sky above, Ed slowly stood up from his seat, the friends grabbing hold of each other's hands and closing their eyes, "Oh great leader of the vortex of the never ending... Please grant us the invisible yet believable pass to enter into the estranged world caught on the other side of reality... The other side of life!" He shouted.<p>

Suddenly, the roller coaster lit up with life as the cars reached the very top of the structure, the boardwalk underneath preparing to collapse and kill them all. Before it could all end, the Silver Nova lit up with a bright yellow light, shining down on the roller coaster, blocking Nazz and the other's from seeing the heroes.

Finally, the light vanished, showing the roller coaster collapse into the water as the boardwalk completely fell apart. The teens were nowhere to be seen as the ride fell, completely gone from sight, disappearing into thin air.

They had made it.

**To be continued...**


	24. This Velvet Blood Pt1

**The first chapter of The Quest for the World is an epic one. No need for explaining here... You'll understand soon enough!**

**And, yes, the title was inspired by "This Velvet Glove" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Just thought I would throw that bit of insight out there.**

* * *

><p>No wind. No talking. Only the heavy breathing of the friends around him woke Ed up. As he raised his head from the floating concrete platform and looked ahead of him, he saw a set of massive cobblestone stairs, ascending on a dirt hill for several meters. Meanwhile, swirls of chaos constantly whipped around like a tornado through the outside of the area, giving Ed the feeling of death in the air.<p>

Looking down, he saw his friends all unconscious on the platform, small bruises visible from the landing. Stepping up a few steps, Ed began to hear a murmur from the top of the hill. The voices spoke of blood and war as Ed slowly walked up each step until appearing tall and fierce with his fists clenched. The murmuring turned out to be from another pair of Psychometrics, except both were male and had blue skin, a head like a dinosaur. As soon as they saw Ed appear, they sprinted off up the next set of stairs to the left.

The hill seemed to go on forever, with platforms in between the stairs for rest. This did not stop Ed, who began ascending the next one, and then the next one, and the one after that as well. Rising up to the cobblestone platform after each set of stairs, he finally saw the top of what appeared to be a skyscraper, shining silver with windows inserted on each wall, going up for a few hundred floors. The top of the tower showcased some sort of red light, flashing as Ed drew nearer to the top of the hill.

It eventually turned off once Ed reach a patch of grass after yet another set of stairs. Looking ahead, he saw the bottom of the tower he noticed before and a massive population standing before him. They were a mix between what Regal looked like and what dinosaurs and humans looked like. They were definitely not normal.

"Who are you, intruder?" A man called from the back.

Ed stood his ground and visually explored his surroundings, noticing more and more towers around the floating landmass. Small cottages and block buildings colored gray acted as the homes for most Psychometrics living there.

"Who are you?" Everyone in the crowd shouted.

The teen looked at the population, which looked to be approximately 400 Psychometrics, all having different characteristics, "I am Edward Regal. I have come to slay your leaders in hopes of undoing what they have done wrong."

"They've done nothing wrong!" A child cried.

"That's where your wrong," Ed said and began to walk into the crowd, the population moving to form a path for him, "Your supposed leaders have been slowly destroying your race this entire time, not giving a single damn about any single one of you. Destroying our world in hopes of claiming one that is smarter than the lot of you... They're disgraceful."

The population stared at the hero with wide eyed anger, furious at him for completely bashing their leader, "You take that back! Prometheus gave us life and you should be thankful for that!" Another male yelled.

"I'm a human, so I don't care. You are still wrong, however, for those leaders of yours are going to lead you all to your deaths." Ed explained.

Suddenly, another path extending from the entrance to the large tower was cleared and the silver menace appeared, his dot dark red with rage, "You have come here to defy both me and my race? How pathetic."

"You!" Ed shouted and pointed at Regal, "You've caused all of this pain and suffering for us! Why couldn't you believe your own family to be of assistance to you instead of me, an outsider?"

Regal chuckled and moved forward, "Because they didn't believe me. They thought I was lying when I told them I was once human, studying them in fact."

"Well, they have every right to ignore that info." Ed shouted.

Everyone stared at Ed then at Regal, who's dot turned orange with interest, "Really? Why do you think I'm lying when you have no reference?"

"I met Prescott. You have no right going around and bragging that you were once a human when you never even came close to being one." Ed said.

Regal snickered and burst into a large laugh, "Is that it? You met Prescott? Prescott isn't all you thought he was. You may think he's the original, but truth be told-"

"He is the original!" The cul-de-sac kids, now awake and behind Ed all the way, shouted.

Ed turned around and saw his friends, standing there valiantly, preparing for what lay ahead. Taking a deep breath, he stared back at Regal, who had taken a step back, "Heh, what are you going to do now?"

"Nothing. Taking out you pathetic children won't be a single bit challenging for a powerful leader like me!" Regal said. However, as he began to laugh malevolently, Ed sprinted ahead, a fist full of anger, and sent it straight into his enemy's head, sending him backwards and onto the ground. Clouds of dirt appeared as the crowd of people backed up, Regal's dot turning white.

"Is it over?" Rolf asked curiously.

"It... Is far... From over!" The Psychometric shouted before standing up, dark reds covering his entire head. Stretching out his arms to the side, massive armor began to pile onto it from the surrounding buildings, eventually making him taller than the heroes ever expected. Staring down at them, he began to laugh with a demonic voice, "I will murder you all!"

* * *

><p>The lights began to flicker inside Regal's throne room. Jimmy, his stomach showcasing his weak ribs, continued to lay nearly lifeless on the floor in the corner. He seemed almost like a zombie, his stare extending more millions of light years.<p>

"It's over... They..." He began to cry as the lights completely shut off, "They... Don't want me..." He bawled, trying to stand up the best he could but only to fall back down, on his face. Completely still again, he closed his eyes and waited for his life to be over. Listening to the screaming that was coming from outside the Twilight Court, he began to hear a majority of voices he didn't recognize.

"Pulverize them!" One of the voices said.

"Rip their heads off!" Another voice screamed with applause afterwards.

Jimmy smiled and laughed, "Pathetic people... Trying to screw with Regal... Don't know what they're getting themselves into..."

A loud stomp on the ground was heard, "I will destroy every single one of you! There is no way you're getting past me!" Regal roared.

"I'm not leaving without Jimmy!" Sarah cried.

Jimmy Ingle's eyes shot wide open, "Sarah... Sarah, is that you?... Did you come here... For me?" He asked himself.

An explosion shook the ground, setting off smoke everywhere and forcing dozens of screams from the bystanders of the battle, "Jimmy!" Sarah cried again.

"Sarah..." Jimmy moaned, his eyes watering, "... Sarah..." He said and slowly stood up, gradually regaining his strength the more he remembered Sarah, "You helped me cope with death... With loss... I won't disappoint you, Sarah..." He said and found his way through the dark room to the door, exiting into the hallway and walking to the window. Looking down, he saw Sarah laying on the ground in front of Regal, who had transformed completely into a large robotic demon, preparing to crush the child.

Pushing the window open with all his strength, sending it off it's hinges and to the ground below. Hitting the massive Psychometric on the head and distracting him, the heroes all looked up to see where it had come from and noticed Jimmy, shirtless and starving, "Jimmy! We've found you!" Johnny yelled and ran forward, throwing Plank on the ground underneath the window, "Jump and Plank will catch you!"

"Move aside, baldy!" Kevin yelled and pushed Johnny away, holding out his arms for Jimmy to jump into, "This is no time to be screwing around!" He said as Jimmy jumped from the window, all the way down to the ground and into the safety of Kevin's arm strength. Setting him down, the jock turned to face Regal, who was preparing to stab him. Luckily, he was able to jump out of the way with Jimmy and escape the range of the monster.

Everyone grouped together again, Ed stepped forward, "Regal! We will not lose to a scumbag like you!"

"Please, don't call me Regal. Now that I am so strong that you cannot hurt me..." He trailed off and stared at them with his red dot covered here, "Call me Regallis, the perfect life form!"

**To be continued... **


	25. This Velvet Blood Pt2

**How I loved this fight. I loved writing it and imagining it all happening in my head... It was one of the best things to write in the story to me.**

**Well, here you are: The final battle against someone who seemed like the main antagonist all along.**

* * *

><p>Boom! The ground shook immensely again as Regallis' massive arm drove itself into the ground in an attempt to kill the teens, who were quick to escape. Jumping to the side, they automatically positioned themselves around the monster, cornering him in the center of their own circle, "It's over. Nowhere to run, Regallis." Ed announced.<p>

"On the contrary." He roared and leaped into the air, grabbing onto the side of the Twilight Court and then leaping back down, nearly crushing Johnny and Plank, who were pulled out in time by Kevin. Angry that his attempt failed again, the monster's eyes turned purple, signifying pure rage, as he began sprinting around, clawing at each of the teens, one by one.

Ed was able to dodge Regallis' attack by back-flipping, making sure to keep an eye on Sarah and Jimmy, who were in front of the doors to the Twilight Court, keeping out of the way of the fight. However, the Psychometric was quick to notice where Ed's sight was aiming at and turned to prepare to kill the two kiddies fast.

"Not my baby sister!" Ed yelled and leaped at Regallis, knocking him off guard and pushing him aside. Sarah was screaming in horror while Jimmy breathed heavily, calm and prepared for anything that the slave driver would pull.

Regaining his focus, Regallis stared at Ed carefully, his claws tensing as he leaped at the brilliant teen, who was able to propel himself off of the Psychometric's head and over to the other side, leaving his back open for attack. As Ed moved in to hurt his rival, he quickly turned around and nailed Ed in the stomach with his upper arm, sending him close to the edge of the landmass.

"Big boy!" Rolf shouted, staring at the monstrosity who was massacring his enemies after such a long time hiding, "Are you prepared to face Rolf, the boy who brushes his teeth with nails while sleeping!"

Regallis laughed as Rolf sprinted at him, ripping off his shirt and leaping at his head. Regallis merely rammed his head forward, forcing Rolf backwards and into Johnny, who was preparing to use Plank as a sword. Plank flew out of Johnny's grasp, flying into the head of one of the Psychometrics who were watching the whole fight unfold before their very own eyes. Taking a look at the 2x4 piece of wood, it threw it away, towards the edge of the landmass and right into Ed's face, waking him up from confusion.

"Don't worry, buddy!" Johnny shouted, running in Ed's direction, "I'll save you if it's the last thing I do!"

Ed slowly got up, Plank on the ground behind him. As he noticed Johnny running toward him, he began to hear what Johnny was saying and smiled, "Aw, it's okay, Johnny; I'm all-" He stopped as the bald headed kid ran right past him, picking up Plank and sprinting away for safety.

"Edward Regal!" Regallis roared, knocking Kevin against the wall of the Twilight Court, "I shall destroy you for mocking my very own existence and the history behind it all!"

"Prove it, then!" Ed retorted and began running at the beast. Once only a meter away, he leaped into the air and dove right down, impaling his foot into the monster's armor. Escaping before he could be hurt, Ed ran to the doors to the Twilight Court while Regallis stood up as if it was a tiny scratch, ignoring the injury, "You aren't... Hurt?"

"Ha! Why would I be?" He snickered and dove at Ed in the same manner that Ed had just done, stomping onto the hero's body, sending him into the ground. As Regallis stepped off of his body, the kids looked in horror as they noticed their leader in the ground, face down and almost down for the count entirely. The behemoth turned around and stared at the kids, howling with laughter as he watched their faces explore mixed emotions, "This is exactly what I've been waiting for this entire time! Some entertainment, for once."

"Entertainment? Poppycock! This is no square screen with weather forecast lady, is it, yes? No?" Rolf attempted at a comeback, only to be met with blank stares from everyone, even the population, "Eh, uh... Nevermind?" He quickly said with a cheesy smile, immediately focusing his attention back on the brute who was about to kill Ed. Trying to pinpoint Regallis' weak point, he noticed that most of the damage to the monster's armor was from the back, where most of the armor was in the first place.

Before he could act upon his observation, Regallis turned and faced him, his dots flashing from black to yellow, "Didn't your mother ever tell you?" He shouted, running and grabbing Rolf before he could escape and throwing him at Kevin, who was still dazed by the building, "It's not polite to stare."

"Plank, let's go!" Johnny shouted, standing in front of Regallis, tall and brave with Plank by his side, "Captain Melonhead is ready to rumble and!..." He stopped, looking at his wooden friend, "What do you mean we're not in costume?"

Claiming his chance, Regallis kicked Johnny into Eddy, who was in front of the crowd of Psychometrics to the right side of the building. When hit with the bald kid and Plank, he flew back, the population quickly getting out of the way. As Eddy pushed Johnny off and stood back up, he saw Regallis dash at him, picking him up and tossing him on top of Rolf and Kevin. The three slowly got to their feet, watching every move the monster made, "This isn't good." Kevin groaned, scratches and bruises covering his face and arms.

"Ed apparently knows the knowledge of all the greatest people ever, right?" Eddy asked Rolf and Kevin, who nodded, "Then how come he doesn't use that knowledge to kill him? We could be home right now!"

"Short, foul mouthed ed-boy raises a good point. Why doesn't potato sack ed-boy use his brain to beat up big white guy who's been watching us?" Rolf asked.  
>Kevin sighed and watched as Regallis slowly approached Double D, who backed away to the stairs they had arrived on, "Beats me. No matter how he does it, he needs to come up with something. Fast."<p>

"You ready to die, pipsqueak?" Regallis growled as Double D cowered in fear, crouching and preparing for his ultimate doom. However, he saw through a hole in his legs and arm Sarah, against the door and watching as Regallis raised his leg to kick Double D into oblivion.

"Big brother, do something!" Sarah cried.

Double D panicked, not wanting to give pain to his friends who had been there for him all along, even when it didn't seem like it. But what was he compared to a colossal being from another world? Nothing, and that is how it would remain. Shutting his eyes tight, he clenched in fear and began shedding tears, trying to hold back the sorrow of dying, "I wonder... What it's like..." He asked himself under his breath.

"Get away from him!" Jimmy roared, getting onto his feet and running at Regallis, who turned around in time to grab the child and hold him by the neck in the air, tightening his grip.

The dots on the Psychometric's head began to flash blue, meaning careless, "Child! Why do you think that someone as weak as you can do any damage to me? You're starving, right? Thinking about all the food you can eat?"

Jimmy growled and launched his foot into Regallis' head, knocking him backward slightly and sending the child onto his feet, in control again, "No, I'm thinking about my friends."

Double D, peeking up to see Jimmy helping him, quickly stood up and leaped onto Regallis' back, beginning to punch at it like he did to Regal in the forest fire. Apparently, it did some sort of damage to him, as the teens could definitely see him wincing in pain by the flashing of his dots. That didn't last for long, as after about a minute of it, he grabbed Double D by the arm and swung him towards Kevin, who got Sarah and jumped out of the way, Double D smashing into the door and breaking the glass on it. He lay motionless on the ground, the teens staring at him with worry that he might have been severely injured. The crowds cheered their leader on, with Kevin becoming more and more annoyed that they wouldn't believe that they were following a dictator.

"We're losing this, shaven head Kevin! What will we do now?" Rolf asked. Regallis was approaching Jimmy, who hadn't gotten out of the way of the brute. He grabbed at the child's hair, pulling him up and hurling him into pain as he also began punching at him like he was a doll.

Sarah jumped up from the ground, crying, "Jimmy!"

"That's it, no one's gonna kill fluffy!" Kevin growled and ran at Regallis, who tried to whack at the jock with Jimmy but missed. Quickly dashing around, he leaped onto the enemy's head, kicking at it and knocking him off balance and onto the ground, releasing Jimmy from his grasp. The teens made their way over to Double D and Ed, who were still unconscious.

Sarah got onto her knees beside Ed, "Please, Ed! Wake up! You may not be my brother... But you are still the most important person in my life!" She cried. Ed remained in the ground, not moving an inch while Regallis got up onto his feet, his dots purple again.

"Prepare for impact!" Eddy shouted as Regallis dashed at them and drove his arm into the ground again, missing the teens completely as they ran away to the stairs. Kevin told Sarah and Jimmy to wait at the bottom until it was over while he, Rolf and Eddy tried to hold him off.

The monster turned around and began counting the teens, "One... Two... Three... Where's the other three?" He asked, stomping the ground to cause and earthquake, ensuring that they wouldn't escape.

Kevin and Eddy looked at each other. They had completely forgotten about Johnny!

Rolf pointed up at a ledge a dozen stories up on the Twilight Court. There, they saw the bald headed hero, with Plank as they jumped down and kicked the monster in the head before he could see them. Running over to his friends, Johnny was congratulated and high-fived for his successful attack.

"Fools," Regallis roared as he stood back up, appearing to not have been hurt, "I will do whatever it takes to make sure you are dead by the end of this fight!"

"There won't be an end to this fight if we don't die, buddy," Eddy replied.

Regallis growled and began to walk towards the heroes before a shadow appeared in the light behind him. The five fighters stared at the body of the shadow, which was a familiar figure, except without all his flashy armor. Standing, limp and with a sort of hunch back, was Billion, half way repaired and staring at Regallis with fierce eyes.

"You!" Rolf shouted, pointing at the man who had killed his father. Just before he could run off and destroy him, Kevin grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Rolf was forced to stand by and see what the revived enemy wanted.

Regallis chuckled, "How's the repairs going?"

"Perfectly fine. Until I figured out what was going on outside." He replied, staring at the teens in the back, cuts and bruises devouring their bodies.

"Really? Why is that?" Regallis asked, folding his arms.

Billion sighed, "Because I knew you would fall into their trap."

Eddy, Rolf and Kevin looked at him with confusion.

"Trap?" Regallis asked, his dots turning to blue.

Billion laughed, "I knew you would screw up eventually."

Regallis' dots immediately turned red as he stepped forward, "Screw up? I'm destroying these bastards, unlike the simple task I gave you."

"You gave me the same thing, and the same thing that is happening to you... Happened to me," Billion said, "Face it... You're doomed."

Regallis kicked his servant to the ground, "I'll have you know that I've protected your life since you were created!"

"Cloned."

The population stared in shock at the pair, "What did he say?"

"There's the proof." Eddy chuckled.

Regallis' dot turned to dark red, "Why did you have to go and screw up like this? I thought you were my servant?"

"I thought you were my friend." Billion said.

Regallis grabbed him by the neck and held him up, "Why are you on their side now, traitor? What are you trying to prove by screwing with me like this? Huh?"

"That they don't deserve this." He spoke.  
>Regallis, in a fit of rage, grabbed his servant's leg and began constantly bashing him against the wall of the Twilight Court, over and over while his body began falling apart. The pieces of metal scattered around the ground while the Psychometrics watching glared in horror that their leader had been hiding all this time.<p>

Finally, only a wire frame remaining of his body, Billion lay dead on the ground. With one final toss, Regallis threw him by the leg over the edge of the landmass, into nothing below. With his old friend out of the way, Regallis turned back to the teens, his dots white, "RETURNING TO ANNIHILATION MODE." He spoke in a monotone, semi-robotic voice.

Eddy, his eyes full of tears, stepped forward in front of Kevin and Rolf, who only watched his actions from there. Stepping up in front of the monster, he only stared at his dots as they changed back to dark purple, "You killed your own friend... Why? What did he do other than speak the truth!" He cried, tears streaming his face, his fists clenched, "I may be a nuisance to my friends and they may be a nuisance to me, but we get over it!"

Regallis, having enough of it, threw his fist at Eddy, sending him backwards to Rolf's feet, a large cut running down the left side of his face. Blood dripping out, Rolf and Kevin watched as Eddy fell into the state of unconsciousness, not responding anymore. Rolf immediately crouched down and began trying to wipe the blood from the scratch while Kevin stared at Eddy and then at Regallis, who was howling with laughter in his boring, monotone voice.

"You think you're so funny?" Kevin asked furious.

"PETTY HUMAN. PREPARE TO DIE." Regallis replied.

"You hurt my friend!" Kevin roared and sprinted at Regallis, quickly rolling under his legs and to his back. Before the Psychometric could react, Kevin grabbed him by the leg and lifted him up with all his might, the fact that his armor and body was severely damaged in the battle beforehand helping. Getting a better grip as he lifted the enemy into the air, he eventually began bashing the villain against the walls of the Twilight Court and the ground, as he had done to the now deceased Billion. The body ripping apart and revealing a black and blue inner body, Kevin didn't ease up, the beatings continuing while Sarah and Jimmy walked up the steps to see what was going on, Johnny apparently disappearing again.

"Regallis is..." Sarah said, smiling.

"Go Kevin!" Jimmy shouted while everyone, including the crowd, remained completely silent.

Finally, the last piece of his outer body fell off, only his black and blue body remaining as he lay on the ground, near dead. Two flashing eyes were in their normal position on his head, as well as a nose, but no mouth. Merely staring at Kevin, it didn't move a bit, yet still alive.

"Why don't you go ahead and die." Kevin said.

"Prometheus will kill all of you." Regallis calmly said before, in a matter of seconds, his body instantly exploded, purple gas shooting out and covering the entire Silver Nova, blocking everyone's sight. As the fog disappeared, all that was left standing was the crowd, Kevin, Sarah, Rolf, Jimmy, Eddy and the Twilight Court. Ed and Double D still unconscious and Johnny appearing randomly from behind the tower, a toothy grin on his face.

"Kevin..." Eddy said, the scratch on his face healing into a scar, "You..."

Kevin turned around and stared at his friends, "He deserved to die... Trust me."

Rolf walked up to his friend, putting his hand on his shoulder, "We know, jock fantasy Kevin. Rolf has been waiting for the day where that man with the crazy dot finally fell and I watched... Finally, that day has come, thanks to you."

Everyone then ran to Kevin, cheering and hugging him in congratulations on the victory over their greatest enemy. Eventually, they noticed Kevin staring towards the bodies of Double D and Ed, still on the ground, and everyone crowded around them, waiting for the two to wake up while the Psychometrics watched, their eyes in shock of what they just saw.

* * *

><p>"Come on, monobrow!" Eddy said, slapping Ed's face, which was out of the ground and facing up, "You can't die! We need you if we want to get out of here!"<p>

"Guys! Double D's awake!" Sarah shouted. Everyone quickly walked toward Edd, who was sitting up with a bloody nose. Looking around to see there was no Regallis anymore, he smiled and looked at each of his friends.

"Who got him?" He asked.

Everyone looked at Kevin, who's face turned red.

"Good job. I was getting sick of him." Edd chuckled.

"Yeah, it's all work and no play, right guys?" Johnny shouted, hurting everyone's ears. They all sat down, ignoring the crowds of Psychometrics around them while they waited for Ed to wake up. Double D was filled in on what happened when he was knocked out, and began to sigh when he realized the fight was not over just yet.

"We still need to get out of here." He said.

Everyone nodded.

"And Ed is the only one who knows how." He said again.

Everyone nodded.

"We're screwed."  
>Everyone nodded again before Sarah stood up and walked over to Ed again, hugging him around his waist. Ed's eyes remained open, giving the teens the idea that he may have died from suffocation. As they all crowded around the hero, they finally realized that there was no hope. Their leader, Edward Regal, was dead.<p>

* * *

><p>"Damn it!" Eddy cried, hitting his head against the wall of the Twilight Court, "Why didn't anyone help him? Why!"<p>

"There were more important things to do, I'm afraid." Double D whimpered before delivering a very emotional sob, him and Eddy hugging as everyone, even the Psychometrics, crowded around Ed's dead body. His color slowly faded to white, with Sarah still believing he was alive.

After a half hour of coping with the fact that they had lost another leader, the kids began running around the landmass, searching for an exit out of the Silver Nova. There was none, with them stuck in there, presumably, forever.

"I told you we were screwed!" Double D cried again.

"Not quite." A voice from the Psychometric crowd said.

The teens, still crying over their loss, looked into the crowd to see a man, who almost looked human, walking out, a white trench coat covering his body as well as a fluffy white beard on his chin, making up for his shiny, bald scalp. The man wore round glasses, much like Benson's, and approached the dead body of Ed.

"Stay away from him!" Sarah growled.

"Nonsense. I'm not letting you guys screw up this early," The man said, getting onto his knees and checking Ed's pulses. After he was finished with that, he checked his heart beat and looked inside his mouth. Everyone quickly realized he was a trained doctor for the Psychometrics, "It appears he still has a faint pulse in his veins and heart. If I had the right tools, then I have a slim chance of bringing him back."

"What do you need?" Kevin demanded.

"Silverware, spatulas, some meat, a large book, a lamp, and fifty light bulbs." He announced. The teens began cursing again, not only at how strange it sounded, but at the fact that they had none of those.

"I have some packed meat at home!" A woman said from the crowd.

"I have three forks!" An old man said.

"My daughter doesn't need her dictionary." A middle-aged woman said.

"I used to produce light bulbs for a living." An old woman in a wheelchair said.

"Me too!" A teen chimed in.

"I've got tons of spatulas sitting under my bed!" A little boy shouted.

"I don't need two lamps, anyway." A teenage girl said.

The teens looked in shock at the crowd of Psychometrics who once threatened to kill them but were now trying to help bring their good friend back to life. They smiled, realizing that the people of the Silver Nova must still have a heart despite their leaders.

"Excellent. Retrieve them, and hurry!" The doctor ordered. The population sprinted off to their homes, entering and exiting simultaneously with the right supplies for the operation, which was still unknown to them. The doctor took off Ed's jacket and shirt, examining his vitals again before the crowds arrived with the tools. After getting each of them, the doctor crouched back down, setting the book on Ed's chest. Plugging the lamp into a nearby outlet, he set the light to shine into Ed's open mouth. Taking out the packed meat that he had been supplied with, he shined the light on it and began pounding it with the spatula before it was significantly flat. Taking out the forks, he began stabbing holes in them and scooping out chunks with a spoon. Finally, he shined the light back into Ed's mouth and began stuffing the meat back to his throat until it began bulging out the front of his mouth.

Double D's heart was pounding like crazy, "Are you trying to choke him?"

"Not at all. I'm merely waking him up with a little gag." He said calmly. The book began moving side to side on Ed's chest as the teens slowly saw it move up and down, the breathing back. Then, unexpectedly, Ed shot up, spitting the meat out in front of him and finally waking up. The teens cheered and thanked the doctor, Sarah hugging Ed with a smile. The crowd cheered and watched as the teens all stood up, staring at them with wonder.

Johnny spoke first, "Plank wants to know why you guys helped us after we killed your leader!"

"It's simple, heroes," The doctor said, speaking for all the Psychometrics, "We saw through Regallis' mind trick when Billion showed up. To be honest, you guys would be dead if Billion wasn't around when he was."

The teens nodded understandingly.

"Well, we got him. Let's go home, guys!" Eddy cheered.

"Not yet." Ed spoke his first words.

"What do you mean?" Eddy asked, impatiently.

"Prometheus." Jimmy growled.

The Psychometrics nodded, the teens quickly understanding that they had one final job to complete before returning home. Saying their last good-byes to the nameless doctor and walking through the door frame into the Twilight Court, they knew what had to be done.

Prometheus must die, no matter what.

**To be continued...**


	26. Press Button for Assistance

**The next four chapters will be chronicling the fears of the majority of the characters. Morals come into play from here on out, and things become quite grim.**

**I present to you Rolf's fears...**

* * *

><p>The lobby of the Twilight Court was trashed from the battle that had just occurred. The front desk was collapsed along with files, computers, paintings, and a bunch of chairs that were set up around the room. The female clerk, who was slowly dying from being crushed by a massive cinder block, stared at the ceiling, the chances of her survival very slim. The ceiling was cracked all over, with water pipes hanging out and shooting out murky water onto the once waxed floor. It would take forever for the place to rebuild.<p>

The teens made their way over to a door on the right side of the circular office, entering into a long hallway. The walls and floor were completely white, just like the lobby, but it wasn't destroyed from the fight. Multiple hallways stemmed off of the end, leading to elevators that went all over. As the eight heroes inspected them closer, they realized that one was to go to the top floors while the other was to go a few stories up. Pretty useless, they all thought.

Before turning back, a loud beep echoed throughout the chamber, hurting everyone's ears. As it faded away, a rough laughing noise could be heard through the intercom. Everyone stared at Jimmy, who was only staring at the loud speaker on the ceiling, a silver plate with multiple holes covering it, "Who is it Jimmy?" Double D asked.

"No need to ask the child," The man said, calming himself down, "I am merely here to discuss the matters at hand. For example, what are you doing on the premises of my home island? This tower isn't for weaklings like you."

"We're coming to kill you, Prometheus!" Jimmy lashed out, the others holding him back from rushing down the hall in anger. They sat him down against the wall and listened further to what the heartless villain had to say.

A few seconds of silence passed until the voice finally returned, "As I was saying, what are you doing in my home? I was expecting Regallis to finish off all of you, but now that that plan seemed to fail, I'll have to go to the extremes..."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Eddy demanded.

Prometheus snickered, "You'll find out soon."

The intercom shut off as the kids stared at each other. Looking around for another way deeper into the building since the elevators didn't work upon looking closer, they began to return to the lobby. As they neared the exit, a thick wind blew against them, out of nowhere. The eight teens fell onto their behinds, looking around for where it could have come from.

"That was too weird! Huh, Plank?" Johnny exclaimed.

"Weird, indeed. No wind could pass through titanium walls like these." Double D investigated. As he turned around, his eyes shot wide open in fright as he pointed to the hallway behind the others. As they turned around, they saw the walls and floor shaking madly, as if they were merely water. As they tried to escape, they felt no shaking from the waves.

The door to the lobby wouldn't budge, the group shouting for someone to help them. The wave was upon them in seconds, surrounding them in a random blur of red and blue like the colors of a human's veins. It all went black for everyone.

* * *

><p><p>

"Grumpy eye ed-boy! Wake up, for Rolf is as confused as when his uncle came home a lady man!" The farm boy shouted. Eddy's eyes slowly slid open, staring up at the ceiling from the floor. The room was rather colder than it originally was before. Sitting up, he saw Rolf against the wall, shivering with his arms folded.

Eddy stood up and walked over to Rolf, who began rapidly shivering. The room wasn't the one they were in before; It was silver now, the hallway wider and the door at the end being different than the elevator doors. They were somehow transported somewhere else by the corrupted walls before, "Yo, where are we, Rolfy boy?"

"Rolf hasn't the slightest of ideas, couch potato ed-boy! I woke up here after dreaming of Nana and found it to be only you and me! One, two, no three, no four, no five, no-"

Eddy quickly placed his hand over his friend's mouth, "I get it. What I don't understand is where we are. There must be a way back." He said and looked back in the other direction of the hallway. It was only a blank wall with a small peep hole in the middle of it.

"What is it you're staring at, Eddy?" Rolf asked, scratching his hairy, untrimmed chin.

"Nothing, Rolf. Just a clue." He said before examining the peep hole closer, looking through only to see a strangely drawn eye staring back at him. The red pupil scared him a bit, sending him back a few steps before falling backwards.

Rolf stood up and helped the teen up, "You okay, son of a gun ed-boy? Rolf is confused as to your motives make no sense, no?"

Eddy scratched the back of his head a bit, "Sorry... Just a misunderstanding. I'll be fine, though." He said and stood up, walking down to the other end of the hallway, towards the door. As they neared it, the temperature continued to drop by the second until it felt like a snowstorm except they were inside and there was no snow.

Looking for a door knob, the door suddenly slid to the right, into the wall. Eddy and Rolf walked through and saw a massive ledge above them with another door, it being the only exit out of the room. There only appeared to be one way to the top, and the two caught onto it right on the spot. Stuck into the titanium wall were white bricks that seemed to act like ledges for them to climb up.

"Well, I guess we should get moving. Nothing too tough here, right?" Eddy said and walked to the lowest brick, climbing up slowly, taking his time. Rolf approached the first ledge carefully, taking caution as he was the only one out of the pair to feel an eerie presence in the air.

Eddy reached the top of the platform first, sitting on the edge while Rolf climbed up, sweat dripping off of his face and onto the floor, "You okay, Rolf?" He asked, knowing something was wrong.

Rolf shook his head, "No, silly ed-boy. I'm perfectly fine." He said and reached to the final ledge, pulling himself to the top. Resting alongside Eddy, they tried their best to figure out what had happened to them back there. Coming up with nothing, they stood up and entered through the next door.

On the other side was yet another hallway. Shorter than the previous ones yet much wider, there was a pair of double doors at the other side, both hazed glass but easily accessible.

"Jeez, to think this would be a challenge." Eddy laughed.

Rolf shook his head, "Rolf doesn't believe this to be that easy, simple minded ed-boy. Rolf has seen these events before and they do not end pretty, no? Yes? No?"

Eddy shook his head and began walking straight across the room towards the door. Just before he could reach it, the temperature dropped from around 70 degrees straight to 0 degrees, nearly freezing the two in their tracks.

"Prometheus, we know you're behind this!" Eddy screamed.

The loud speaker came on again, "Well, who else would be? I thought I would give you winter a bit early and lower the temperature. After all, I don't want the place to be hot for my little heroes at night."

Rolf's heart began pounding faster, "I don't like the feeling of this, round eye ed-boy. We must go, now!" He shouted and ran for the door. As he tried to open it, it became stuck in it's place by the frost that was developing on it. There was no way out, with the two sitting down and trying to keep as warm as they could.

"Aw, too cold? Let me help you there." The villain laughed. The temperature thankfully raised, giving the two heroes a little more hope. However, it began to rise even after it reached the norm, getting to well over the 100 degrees mark. Whirring sounds began to echo around the room as holographic trees began developing everywhere digitally, with Silver Clones walking out of the double doors, their dots dark purple. They were ready to kill.

But Rolf saw through his attempt to evoke one of the worst disasters in his life. The day his Nana was killed in the forest fire is what he was trying to recreate... To send Rolf to insanity, "Well, it's not going to work, big corporate Realtor!"

"What?" Prometheus and Eddy asked in confused unison.

"You may think Rolf is too immature to handle this situation, but I am about to prove you wrong!" He shouted and watched as the Silver Clones began to swarm around him and Eddy, prepared to attack.

But so were him and Eddy.

As soon as one dove at him, Rolf dove aside, ramming a clone down. Getting up in a matter of seconds, he picked up the knocked down clone and heaved him at the one across from him, knocking them both down and killing them. Eddy ran to behind a tree as it slowly caught fire, leading the Silver Clones to follow to find him. As soon as they approached him, he spun around to behind them, shoving them into the fire and burning them.

The whole room was filled with smoke, Rolf trying his best to see through it. It was much worse than the fumes in the forest, but it was just enough that he could survive. Looking around for Eddy, he saw him tackle a clone that was preparing for an ambush. After thanking him, Eddy ran off to deal with a horde of clones, who were lost in the smoke.

"Rolf is surprised by the success here, ya ya!" He said before turning around and seeing a shadow in the corner of the room, rocking back and forth in what seemed to be a wheel chair. The shadow was so bold that it was able to bleed through all the layers of smoke, grabbing Rolf's attention quickly, "N-Nana?"

Eddy quickly pushed him down, "Rolf, don't fall for Prometheus' trick! It's not your Nana... She's gone!" He tried to convince. Rolf stood up, tossing Eddy aside into the wall.

"Nana, I'm so glad to see you again!" Rolf said happily, approaching the shadow. As soon as he was only a few feet away, the shadow jumped out at him, turning into a beast looking like a completely dark gargoyle with red eyes and black mouth and nose. It toppled Rolf, sitting on his stomach, trying to force all the air out of his chest.

Eddy, looking up and seeing the gargoyle slowly kill Rolf, jumped up and knocked it over. As soon as it was distracted, Rolf caught his breath and picked up the gargoyle, throwing it at the tree. It caught fire, as did all the other clones remaining in the room. As the rest of the enemies diminished to only ash, the trees faded away, along with the smoke. The room's temperature was returned to normal, and it looked as if nothing had taken place.

Walking toward the door, Eddy looked back to see Rolf sitting down, weeping into the palms of his hands, "How could Rolf be so foolish? Father Cardinal must be mighty disappointed at his own son, and from the farmer's island in the sky, too."

Eddy hugged Rolf, "This is not the time for crying, Rolf. It was a minor mistake. We're about to set things right forever, so let's just find the others and take out that scumbag Prometheus once and for all. Okay?"

Rolf nodded, "I understand, but... We could still have everyone if brilliant mind ed-boy would just use his cache doo-hickey to defeat those bad guys in the first place."

Eddy nodded, remembering his acknowledgement during the final battle with Regallis. Why hadn't Ed just used his cache to deal with everyone that stood in their way? It sure would have made everything much easier on them, but there is probably some undiscovered reason behind it.

Either way, the two would have to wait until they had caught up with the others to find out.

Entering through the door, Eddy and Rolf stumbled upon a central meet-up room connected to three other hallways, all labeled with different colors. The one on the far left was green, while blue, brown, and red followed. Eddy and Rolf had exited out of the red door, which must have stood for the fire that they endured. They realized that the other six heroes would be leaving out of the others as well.

The two began looking around the room, only finding a jammed door in front of the other four. No panels or buttons were present, so it was obvious that they wouldn't be entering through anytime soon. All they could do is wait. Wait for the others to show up. Wait for the time to confront Prometheus, the god of all Psychometrics. Wait for them to return to their world.

Wait and hope.

**To be continued...**


	27. Pursuit of Faith

**Kevin...**

* * *

><p>Sunlight beat down on jock Kevin's eyelids, forcing them open. As he awakened from unconsciousness and sat up, he noticed himself to be in a large plateau, no one around at all. He was outside, the sun was high, and there were no other geographic details to point out. After stretching, Kevin sighed and looked around, feeling like going back to sleep. Once he was back on his back, preparing to go back to sleep, his eyes opened wide open as he stared at the blue sky.<p>

The red was gone.

"They fought him without me? What bull!" He shouted and jumped up, looking around for any signs of life whatsoever. Nothing was present except for the miles of clay ground making up the plateau. There wasn't something right, and he was planning on finding out what.

Kevin began strolling around the plateau aimlessly, the texture of the ground remaining congruent the entire way. As he began to reach to half hour mark of walking to no destination, he finally gave up and sat back down, the sun in the sky remaining in it's position the entire day.

"Is something going on? This doesn't feel right at all." He said to himself, laying back down and tipping his red hat over his eyes. He fell asleep quickly, the matters beforehand disappearing into his lazy and ignorant ego.

* * *

><p><p>

"Kevin?"

Kevin sat upright at the echo of a female voice. No longer was he in the plateau, but a dark, misty room with no actual platform that he could be sitting on. He was floating in the middle of the surreal area, "Where am I? Who's there?"

A white light appeared several meters in front of him, slowly forming into the body of a blond girl with a big, red smile on her face, holding a baby in her arms, "Why did you leave me like this? The baby needs a father."

"Nazz?" He called out, standing up and walking over to the figure made of mist, "I'm sorry, but I can't let our... Our child... Live in no world..."

Nazz turned away from him, "Well, whatever. Doesn't make sense to me, but you're the man with the plan I guess." She said and walked away, fading into the mist. Kevin followed but found nothing, only to be lost in the room.

"Hello? Nazz? Where'd you go?" He called out only to hear his own echo. The mist filled his nostrils and his ears, slowly making him drowsy. Falling backwards into the air, he fell endlessly below, into the darkness. His eyes shut tight, falling into another sleep.

As far as he knew, at least.

* * *

><p><p>

A splash of water showered over the jock, drenching his clothes and hat. Sitting up and throwing his hat onto the ground, he looked behind him to see Johnny and Plank with a silver bucket in his hand. As Kevin got to his knees, he noticed Johnny had a big smile on his face, obviously ignoring whatever had been going on recently, "Baldy, where are we?"

"Beats me. Plank thinks that this is just our imagination," Johnny laughed, looking at Plank and complimenting him on his "joke", "What do you mean you're serious?"

Kevin stood up, letting his clothes dry in the never setting sun. Johnny sat down on the flat clay, Plank laying down next to him. Something seemed fake about the world to Kevin, especially the fact that the sun eternally sat in the same position, "Johnny, you know what we have to do, right?"

"What's that?"

"We have to find the others in this endless land. The problem is that this is an endless land and they could be anywhere!" He said, adjusting his hat onto his head and sitting down beside his friend, "We need to think of a plan."

Johnny nodded, staring blankly into space before diverting his attention to Plank, "What's that, buddy?" He said, picking up his wooden friend and putting him to his ear, "Plank says that this world is just artificially flavored!"

Kevin shook his head, "Not flavored, artificially made."

"Yeah, that too!" Johnny laughed, rolling onto his back.

"Johnny, get a grip, dude!" Kevin shouted, grabbing Johnny and sitting him up, "We're stranded in the middle of nowhere with no one around but ourselves! We have to get moving if we don't want to starve or go insane, alright?"

"You got a big nose!" Johnny chuckled.

Pushing him back onto the ground, Kevin turned away and faced the far horizon, "Screw it. If you won't be serious, even for a minute, then there's no point in utilizing you as a partner. Good-bye, baldy." He calmly groaned and marched away, leaving behind Johnny and Plank in the middle of nowhere.

* * *

><p><p>

Seven hours have passed with Kevin finding nothing to help him find life. The same ground stretched outwards forever. Never ending, always expanding, which is how Kevin felt about the entire journey after Prometheus.

"This stinks." Kevin muttered to himself, taking off his shirt to keep up with the beating heat of the sun, which was in the same position still. Plank was right; This world must be fake, but there was no way to prove it. Not yet at least.

Continuing to move forward, he noticed a dark figure in the distance. Initially thinking he was seeing things, he moved forward, running after to see if the figure was really someone. His heart sank when the figure came into view and revealed itself to be only Johnny, not moving a single inch since the jock had left to find an exit from their location.

"Hiya, Kev! Find anything weird and freaky?" The bald teen asked curiously, laughing with his front teeth showing off. Kevin shook his head in disbelief and sat down by his friend, staring ahead of himself, into the horizon.

"I think I get it. This world isn't endless as it seems to be. We can get that off our backs, I guess." Kevin acknowledged.

Johnny looked at Plank, who was laying on the ground, and picked him up. Putting the board of wood to his ear, he smiled, "Plank says that we should look for clues."

"I get it, but what clues are there from a boring and blank world like this?" Kevin replied, looking around, "The only things we can pay attention to are the sun and ground, and both those do absolutely nothing."

"He also said something about looking for geographilical stuff." Johnny said, stumped by his friend's vocabulary.

"Geographic, baldy. Geographic," Kevin corrected and stood up, "But I guess Plank is right. We need to look around a bit more. We both should head in the direction none of us have moved in and see if we can find anything. If we ever get lost, then we'll meet up again at some point, right? Right. Let's go."

Johnny only stared as Kevin walked up, not looking back until he finally disappeared. Deciding that he should do the same, the bald teen stood up and walked away, holding Plank close in his arm, "Looks like we're going on an adventure for once, huh, Plank?"

* * *

><p><p>

"What the hell!" Kevin yelled as he saw Johnny's shadow in the horizon, walking into view, "There is still nothing to help us get out of here! Why do we even bother?"

"Beats me." Johnny said and walked closer.

Kevin looked at Johnny closely feeling as if something was missing before finally realizing what, "Yo, Johnny... Where's Plank?"

Johnny blankly stared at the jock before looking and realizing his best friend was missing, "Holy smokes! Plank, where are you?" He cried, running around in circles, panicking like all the other times he lost Plank.

Kevin quickly grabbed a hold of him, settling him down on the ground, "Hold it, baldy. No need to get scared like this. We just have to go in the direction you came from and we'll find him, right? Right."

"That's great and all," Johnny sniffled, "But which way did I come from?"

The jock was about to answer before realizing that Johnny had raised a valid point. After the bald teen had run around crazily, they had lost track where either of them had come from. The clay ground was too thick and dry to leave any footprints. They were lost, yet again.

"Screw it. Might as well just give up." Kevin sighed.

Johnny jumped up, "I'm coming for ya, buddy!" He shouted and ran off into a random direction. Before Kevin could react, his friend was gone from sight, leaving him alone and lost once more. Laying down with a terrible attitude, he shook his head, staring at the sun. Dimming his eyes so that he wouldn't go blind, he began to notice the sun wasn't having anymore effect on him. The temperature returned to normal and a thin, black string appeared horizontally beside the sun.

"What is that?" He asked himself as a black object appeared to shoot out from behind the sun. It then began to grow larger and larger as it neared the ground, heading right for Kevin. The jock quickly dove out of the way as the object hit the ground, revealing itself to be only Plank.

Kevin neared the wooden friend, picking him up and noticing a black image of a traced hand, "What's this supposed to mean? A clue or something?" He asked himself and set the piece of wood down. Looking back at the sun, he began to notice a dark ring going around it. It wasn't all that it seemed to be, "A clue? A hand? Maybe..." He said and held his hand up to the sun, slowly clenching it. Suddenly, he felt a hot sensation develop in the palm of his hand as he seemed to grasp the fiery star. Letting go to let his hand cool off, he reached for the string beside the sun, grabbing it and pulling it to the side. The sun made a clicking noise before going dark, appearing to be only a large light bulb.

With the light off, Kevin looked around to find himself in a dark room of the Twilight Court, windows on the side giving off a shaded light. Hills from the floor were made to give off the feeling of being on a miniature planet, with him being at the highest hill and Johnny at the bottom, going into a randomly placed tunnel, "Kevin, I found something!"

"An illusion?" Kevin said to himself, grabbing Plank and walking down the hill to meet up with Johnny, "I guess Prometheus knows what he's doing after all."

As he neared the bottom of the hill, he followed Johnny into the tunnel, where a metal door was at the end. Turning the large door knob, they crossed through the door frame to hear the loud noise of thousands of newborns crying, all in unison.

Because that's exactly what it was.

* * *

><p><p>

Walking into the room filled with cribs and the babies occupying the cribs, Johnny began playing with them, tickling their stomachs only to have them cry even more. The insanity began getting to Kevin's head, he eventually getting on his knees and shouting in pain.

"Damn it, I'm not ready for fatherhood!" He shouted through the room. The babies turned silent, all the cribs joining together in one black blob in the middle of the titanium room. The blob began taking form of a gargoyle as Kevin cried deeply into his knees, Johnny watching from the wall as the monster approached the jock menacingly.

"Kevin, run!"

Kevin didn't listen, crying even louder, his voice beginning to sound like the newborns. The gargoyle, only a foot away from his victim, raised his clawed hand, preparing to slash at Kevin. As he began to strike, Johnny dove in front and put Plank in front of them, forcing the black gargoyle's claws into the wood and countering the attack.

"Stay away from my friend!" Johnny cried, pulling Plank from the claws and whacking him across the monster's face, sending him backwards and onto his back. Johnny got to his feet and dove onto the gargoyle's stomach, pounding Plank against it's face, "Stay away from him! Stay away from him! Stay away from him!"

The black monster suddenly vanished, black mist showing that he truly was there. Although not speaking any words, Johnny felt as if the monster had personally spoken to him, "The door of forever is only unlocked by the one you hate."

Kevin, now that the gargoyle was gone, stood up, his face wet with tears. Johnny stood up, Plank in his arm, and stared at Kevin with a deep stare, "Let's go. The others are bound to be waiting."

The jock nodded and followed Johnny through the double doors at the other end of the room. Opening them and crossing through, they found themselves in a circular room with four other doors, colored differently, and one door in front of them all. And in front of that door..."

"Rolf, man!" Kevin shouted happily, running over to hug his friend.

Rolf pushed the jock off and stared at him closely, "How do I know you aren't big mean gargoyle thingy?"

Kevin looked at Eddy and then back at Rolf, "Gargoyle?"

"Must've been that thing we saw back there, Plank." Johnny said with a straight face and serious tone. Rolf and Eddy were both shocked by their random friend's sudden change in personality.

"You guys saw it too, I guess." Eddy said.

Johnny nodded.

"I didn't. He must have been gone by the time I-" Kevin stopped.

Eddy looked in confusion, "By the time you what?"

Kevin shook his head and sat down, "Uh, nothing."

"Well, we're together at last! Now, we wait for Double D ed-boy, Ed ed-boy, Jimmy ed-boy, and Sarah ed-boy... Is that right?" Rolf asked. The other three smiled and laughed at their clueless yet brave friend. He had endured so much.

Much of that was yet to come.

**To be continued...**


	28. The Science of Infinity

**(Boy, did I hate writing this one. I don't know why, it just took me forever to finally get around to finishing this one.)**

**Sarah...**

* * *

><p>A slight breeze blew over Double D's face. Sniffling his nose to rid his face of a small itch, his eyes fluttered open. Laying on the cold ground of the Twilight Court's inner hallways, he stared up at the blank titanium ceiling. As he stretched and sat up, he saw Sarah sitting against a nearby wall, already awake.<p>

She turned her head to Double D and smiled, "You're awake."

Edd nodded, "Yeah. Where's everyone else?"

Sarah shrugged and stood up, "Beats me. They probably got lost in that maze up ahead." She said and pointed down the hall, where multiple paths branched off.

"Well, we need to find them soon," Double D said and stood up, "So we might as well go ahead and tackle this head first."

The two nodded in agreement and walked forward, stopping at the end of the hallway where three other paths branched off. The one to the left went straight and took a right turn at the very end. The one to the right turned as soon as you entered it. The one going ahead intrigued Double D, for it looked to be only a dead end, yet at the same time, a secret path. Either way, Sarah decided to try the left path first and see what they find.

As they walked down, lines began to appear on both sides of the hall, randomly going in different directions. They eventually shined a green light as the two reached the end. Looking around the corner, they found a dead end, "Well, this might take a while." Double D sighed and turned around. Walking back through the hallway, Sarah following behind, they took the hall to the right and followed the abrupt turns the path had to offer. The windowless halls began to affect them slowly, making them believe that it was all just a dream or something related to a dream. As they reached another intersection quite a ways down the hall, the two stopped and sat down, looking at each other.

"Where are we, Double D?" Sarah asked.

"I haven't a clue, Sarah. It appears that whatever Prometheus did back... Where we used to be, caused us to arrive here. Perhaps he warped us to a lesser known area of the tower, keeping us isolated from everyone else." Edd said, examining the halls that branched off of the intersection. They all had strange patterns, turning at random points to lead them off in perhaps the wrong direction entirely.

Sarah folded her arms, "Well, I don't like it one bit!"

"I don't either, but we have to put up with it at the moment, so don't be so grumpy and mean. We just need to keep our heads high and look for a proper solution!" Double D said, standing up and inspecting the surrounding hallways.

"I guess so..." The female child sighed and followed Edd down one of the hallways that went straight for a while before taking a sharp turn to the right. They came across another intersection that had four paths branching off. One up ahead going straight, one going left with a bunch of turns following, a path going right straight to the wall, and a path wedged between the left and one ahead, "Which one?"

Double D thought about it, scratching his hairless chin in thought, "Well, let's not forget about the one at the previous intersection. There are tons of solutions that can be tackled in any order. Which ever one we choose, however, is for the taking."

"I like the the one up ahead!" Sarah snorted.

"Well, let's be logical about this-" Double D tried to finish before watching Sarah run off down the hall, stopping to see if Edd was following, "Sarah, wait!"

Sarah laughed, "Come on, silly; There's nothing to be scared of."

"Well, I wouldn't be so sure about-" Double D trailed off as he glanced down the diagonal path, catching a glimpse of a tall, shadowy figure that resembled Ed or Rolf. The figure came back into view and looked at Double D, waving it's hand to signal for the ed-boy to go over to them. Edd nodded and looked down the hall Sarah traveled down to get her only to find a empty path, empty of life, "Sarah?" He muttered, standing perfectly still in his spot.

* * *

><p>"Double D?" Sarah cried, looking all around, only seeing the constant white covering the walls all around her. She strolled down the halls, looking at the paths that branched off at different points, hoping to see her crush somewhere down them. As she continued onward, she began to lose her sanity, beginning to believe Double D was just a lie. But there was some feeling deep down that kept her thinking that she was wrong. There was someone there, and she was going to find them.<p>

Sprinting now, she zoomed past the halls, taking random turns as the green lines on the walls kept lighting up. Her stomach cramping, her breath getting more difficult to breath, she pressed on, the sick feeling in her stomach discouraging her that she would never make it. That all changed when she came across and intersection with eight different paths branching off, stretching on for as far as she could see. She slowly stepped up to the one in front of her and took a deep breath, holding it for as long as she could.

After nearly a minute, she belted out, "Double D!" the words echoing off the walls and bouncing throughout those portions of the maze. If she did that for each hallway, then she was bound to find her love!

Stepping up to the next one, she belted out her friend's name, continuing onto the next as there were no replies. As she approached the last hallway, running out of breath, she collapsed onto the floor. Her mouth hanging open, she slowly drifted into a sleep, her eyes closing more with each second. As they shut completely, she barely saw a dark figure in the distance of one of the halls in front of her. It's short, scrawny legs moved casually, the light from the intersection shining upon the person's head. It's black ski hat lay simply on his head while he skinny arms reached down to pick the child up. As she felt him move her to a sitting position, she jumped up and hugged the boy, smiling and sighing with relief that she wasn't going insane.

"Sarah, please let go." Double D said.

Sarah nodded and stepped back, "Double D, I'm so glad that I found- I mean YOU found me! It's a miracle! We're both okay and that's what matters! Our future is fine!"

"Future?" Double D said, scratching his head.

"Yeah, we're going to survive!" Sarah said and looked down the hall behind her, slowly walking toward it before turning back to see only Double D staring back at her in anger, "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

The teen shook his head, "Say it."

"Say what?" Sarah asked in confusion.

"What you've never said before but you've always wanted to."

Sarah stared blankly, not understanding what her older friend was trying to suggest, "What I've always wanted to? What have I always wanted to say?"

"That you want me." Double D grumbled.

Sarah froze, her skins developing goose bumps as she heard Double D announce that he knew what feelings she had for him. Stepping back, she fell to the ground and began sweating, "Well, I... Um..."

"Say it!" Double D shouted angrily, his face turning red.

Sarah closed her eyes, shaking with fear, "I... I..."

"Say it!"

"I... Love you..."

Double D took one large step forward and slammed his foot into the child's back. Sarah let out a loud scream and began crying, standing up and looking at her crush, who showed no signs of remorse. Instead, he only smiled malevolently.

"Why did you do that?" Sarah whimpered.

"Because it was enjoyable." Edd replied and raised his foot, sending it into the child's shin. Sarah fell back again, crying even louder with tears drowning her face.

"Stop it! You've... You've never acted this way before!" Sarah said and tried to get up only to be pushed back down by Double D, who chuckled as he did it.

"Well, there's a first time for everything."

"What are your... Feelings then?" Sarah asked, curling up into a ball on the ground.

Double D smiled, cracking his knuckles, "You want to know the truth? The absolute truth and nothing but the truth?"

Sarah, biting her lip, nodded.

"I hate you."

* * *

><p>"Sarah!" A voice echoed through the halls of the maze. Footsteps clamped like a horse's hooves on the ground, the floor polished so nicely. The lights were brighter now for some reason, maybe because he was more alert at this point. Walking along a hallway, he heard a cry. A wail of discomfort and pain. A shriek of agony and nightmares come to life.<p>

A sob for help.

Running down the hallway and taking a right, Sarah came into view but on the ground. A tall, sock head teen had his foot placed on her back, pushing down harder in order to cause pain. The child cried as the teen's foot pressed down harder, "Does the pain feel good? Huh?"

"Stop it right there." The same voice echoed.

The abusive teen turned around and stared at another sock head teen, his eyes read with rage. Sarah slowly got to her feet and saw the other teen walking down the hallway, approaching her bully.

"Double D, help me!" She yelled only to be kicked in the face by the abusive teen that had her on the ground. She fell back into the wall and sat down, watching as something unfolded.

The bully chuckled, "Well, a clone, hm?"

"Not at all." The teen down the hall said.

"Cut the act. I know what you're up to," The evil Edd said and cracked his knuckles, "Why would this brat actually believe that you're the real Edd?"

"Because she's smarter than that." Double D said, looking back at a badly beaten up Sarah, who was smiling. Double D focused his stare back on his clone, who was preparing to launch. Instead, he cracked his neck and turned around. The colors on his body began melting away, leaving only a bulky, black gargoyle with sharp horns and black eyes, staring at Sarah.

The monster turned around and glared at Double D malevolently, "It's time to put you to rest forever. Clones of the truth are only to be thrown away in the true creator's waste bin, never to see the light again as newer clones develop on top of him. That would be the case with you, minion of jealousy."

Double D stood his ground, slowly approaching the devil, "You may think of creation as a waste bin for the artist's trash, but you are not going to go anywhere with that attitude. While disasters like yourself may want to become those who are more successful, it is impossible for something as drastic as that to happen for insanity will always drive you to the truth."

The gargoyle frowned in anger before leaping high into the air, pounding down on the ground where Double D stood. The teen flew over in Sarah's direction, just barely missing the child. He quickly stood up and breathed heavily as the gargoyle dashed at him and drove him into the wall. The lights began to dim in Double D's eyes with darkness slowly invading his sight. Was he truly about to lose to some abomination that should have never be created?

"Double D, fight back!" Sarah cried, "Don't leave me to die here with that thing!"

The gargoyle dropped Double D and stared at the child, his fangs showing fiercely, "I am your own Nightmare, you worthless being! I fill you with despair in hopes to lead you to insanity and eventually death!"

"I wouldn't say that. You are only a clone, after all." Double D subtly said as he regained his balance. Nightmare turned around, whacking Sarah in the face with his pointed tail. As he faced Double D, the skinny ed-boy clenched his fist and upper-cut the demon, sending him into the air and back down. Laying in defeat, the demon melted away into the ground, darkness filling the entire room, even the walls and lights. However, that didn't last for long.

A few minutes passed before a faint light shone from the ceiling. It began gradually expanding before completely filling the room. As their vision began to return, Double D and Sarah both noticed the walls and halls of the room to be completely gone, only a door on the other side of the maze remaining. A light above it shone green as the two smiled with relief that they were okay.

As they approached the exit, Sarah breathed heavily and looked up at Edd, who was fixated on the door, "Double D... What are your true feelings?"

"My true feelings?" Double D said, scratching his chin with a smile, "I've got a feeling that I'm not meant for you... But I do know someone who is."

Sarah almost began crying in despair of loneliness before calming down and listening to Double D, "W-Who?"

"You'll see soon enough." Edd chuckled as the titanium door opened sideways. As they walked through to the other side, they saw Eddy, Rolf, Kevin and Johnny all relaxed in front of a large door in the front of the room. Ignoring the door they had just exited, the two were greeted with smiles and sat down with everyone.

"Man, what took you guys so long?" Kevin asked.

"We were faced with the predicament of solving a puzzle in the form of a maze, being forced to fight off a black devil in order to stay alive and eventually making the walls disappear. Just like my science project from 7th grade." Double D sighed.

The five others rolled their eyes.

"Well, we just have to wait for Ed and Jimmy." Eddy moaned and lay down sideways, trying to take a nap to pass the time.

Double D shrugged and examined the large door that they were seated in front of, "What's on the other side of this?"

"We're guessing Prometheus or something." Kevin said.

"Rolf wonders, what exactly will happen after little baby boy Prometheus is gone, no? Will we go back to our homes and scrape the cabbage off the son of an agent's shoes, yes?" Rolf asked taking off his shoes and setting them aside. Lifting his right foot into the air, began scratching at the bottom, laughing at the ticklish feeling.

"Well, that is something I never thought about before. What are we going to do once Prometheus is gone?" Double D asked as everyone lay down, resting after the battles that each of them had just won.

"Double D, you said you were attacked by some black devil thing, right? I'm guessing whatever that thing was is going after each of us and that includes Ed and Jimmy." Kevin said, stretching on the clean floor.

"I know Ed won't screw up, though." Double D smiled.

**To be continued... **


	29. Childhood is Over

**Ed...**

* * *

><p>A bright light lit up Edward Regal's eyelids. Seconds later, they fluttered open, the light shining into his pupils and waking him up. The cold ground wasn't a bother to him as he had his jacket on, but the breeze from an unknown source hit his face like a bucket of ice. Shivers ran down his body, all the way to his toes as he began shaking, the light making him unusually uncomfortable. Ed sat up, crossing his arms to try to tame the freezing temperature, and noticed Jimmy against the wall, twiddling his thumbs nervously.<p>

The hallway that Ed had woken up in was long and seemingly endless at first before a turn could be seen far down. No colors other than the casual silver that accompanied the rest of the building. The lights above weren't coming from a visible source; Just randomly shining out of the ceiling at different parts.

Ed quickly got up and approached Jimmy, who looked up in a deep breath of relief, "I'm so glad you're okay, Ed. I was beginning to think you didn't make it."

"Well, I made it for sure," Ed said before developing goosebumps all along his arms and legs, "But I don't think I can make it in this temperature. How has the heat suddenly disappeared? Where are we, anyway?"

Jimmy thought about it for a second before shrugging, "I'm not that cold. Trust me, I was forced to sit in that Regal guy's throne room for several days and that was almost as cold. It's like these people like being cold."

"Okay, got it. Again, where are we?"

"We're still in the Twilight Court, right?"

"I hope so. I don't want to be utterly screwed when we came so close." Ed said and began walking down the hallway, Jimmy following closely behind. As they neared the turn, the lights all along the hallway began to disappear, leaving only a path of darkness for them to hope was going somewhere safe.

Once at the turn, they saw a door at the end of the hallway. A small window in the metal door revealed light and life inside. The two heroes walked forward and pulled the door open, the light brightening up the rest of the hallway. Inside, the walls were now brick with a cobblestone floor and a cement ceiling with actual light bulbs to completely throw you off. A small, wooden stool sat in the center of the large room, a figure in a black cloak seated on it. He slowly looked up, red eyes glaring angrily.

"Why do you come here?" The figure said, standing up and revealing metal legs and arms. He slowly pulled down his hood and showed off his robotic head, looking like a mix between both Regallis' and Billion's, giving a sick feeling to Ed's stomach.

Ed stepped forward, guarding Jimmy, "We need to find our friends!"

The figure shook his head, "Not going to happen. You're friends have been victim to the great demon Nightmare and so will you," He said and stepped forward, "I can make you into one of us if you would like to realize the insanity in what you're attempting to do."

"You aren't going to change my mind." Ed retorted.

"Edward Regal, don't be like this. It's not like you to ignore the orders of your superior," The figure said and got even closer, clenching his wired hands, "I am a new Regal. I can forgive and forget our rude fights in the past... As long as you do as well."

Ed pushed the new Regal awake, knocking him into the stool and onto his back, "No way. We're going to make things right since your leader screwed things up, thinking that his plan would work."

"Plan? No, more like destiny." Regal said.

Ed froze in place, remembering those words to be originally said by Rolf after Billion's death. Was he somehow capable of figuring out Ed's past? "Destiny is a myth. If you want something to happen, it's not destiny; It's called work."

"Work is for people who think they have a life," Regal said. The clone raised his hands up, the pair eventually falling off and hitting the ground. What was left was instead completely black hands, long fingernails on the tips of his fingers. The rest of the body began falling off, leaving only a dark body with black eyes and long horns extending from his temples. His smirk turned into a sinister smile as he growled in laughter, "Now to finish off what no one else could."

Without enough time to block the monster's instant attack, Ed rolled out of the way and into the clear, getting back to his feet in time to watch the monster grab Jimmy and thrust him up at the ceiling. The child squealed in pain as he collided with the cement, falling back down onto the demon's fist, hitting him the stomach and making him nauseous instantly.

"Easily the best thing I've done in a while." The monster growled and picked Jimmy up by the hair and legs, tugging both ways to cause sharp pain to the minor's scalp.

"Let go of him!" Ed shouted and sprinted at the monster, only to be knocked back by a surprise punch. Jimmy fell to the ground and ran into a corner while the monster stared the fallen Ed down.

"Tsk tsk, what worthless bashing. I'm just doing my job. You may call me Nightmare, if you wish," Nightmare said and turned around, ignoring Ed's groans of trying to get up and fight back. Jimmy continued shaking in fear in the corner, crying tears as Nightmare's hand reached for him. Grabbing a hold of his hair again, he held him up to his eye level, "It's time to go, Jimmy. Master Prometheus is waiting for your return." He cackled.

Suddenly, a force fell over the villain as he fell to the ground, Ed piling on top of him. Jimmy fell to the ground and ran away again, looking as Ed quickly got up to face Nightmare, "You're not taking him away again! I'm the one you want, not him!"

"There's more to it, dumbass. Those circles that were imprinted on Jimmy's skin during the Silver Storm connected to his memory. Regal was able to extract all the information he needed to destroy you... And the same power is available to Prometheus' use." Nightmare said and pushed Ed into the wall, the teen falling back to the ground. The demon approached Jimmy slowly, his hand glowing red slightly, "I will now finish what Regal was supposed to do... And then I can become reality."

Jimmy cried in fright, "Ed, help!"

"Shut up and let's get going, you little prick." Nightmare said.

Ed slowly stood up again and stared at Nightmare, who had grabbed a hold of Jimmy again, preparing to disappear, leaving Ed to die alone in the empty room. With anger filling up inside, the protagonist sprinted forward and grabbed the demon's tail. Getting a tight grip on it, he pulled with all his strength. Nightmare swiftly fell back, letting go of Jimmy and falling onto his back. Jimmy ran over to Ed and hid behind his back, peaking to see if the enemy was dead or not.

"Jimmy, I let you go once... And that is enough." Ed huffed.

As the battle seemed to be won, the monster pushed himself up with his hands, quickly retaining his battle stance. His eyes shined a bright red tint as he growled deeply, his breathing becoming rapid and rage filled.

Nightmare looked up and directly at Ed, "You will pay," He said and dashed at Ed, his hands red and ready to blast Ed to his doom. However, Ed was quick and positioned himself just like his opponent, the two pushing against each other with their hands, electricity blasting out of Nightmare's hands. Both of the fighters showed no signs of weakening as they both grunted and stared at each other directly in the eye, "Why is it that it always comes down to you, Ed? That the neighborhood kids always rely on you to do what they can't? I find it pathetic and inexcusable."

Ed laughed, "Pathetic? The same thing is going on with your damn race."

"Lies! With you in our path, our positioning of ranks and generals changed significantly and thus we-"

"I was in your path?" Ed grunted, pushing with more strength, "Heh, I thought you were after me this entire time. There something I'm missing?"

Nightmare began to be pushed back, his strength slowly being overpowered, "There is nothing that is wrong with our race! We are superior to all that exist."

"Then kill me."

Nightmare laughed and pushed harder, trying to prove his point. His facial expression changed to worried as he was pushed back further, Ed determined to win, "I am superior to all of you bastards!"

"Then kill me!"

"I... Am trying..."

"Kill me already!"

Nightmare shook his head, "I... Can't..."

Ed smirked and, with one massive push of strength, blasted Nightmare into the wall, the bricks falling out of place and the monsters disappearing in the wreckage. The victor fell to his knees, breathing heavily at the previous battle that he had just barely won. Jimmy smiled happily and hugged Ed, who slowly got back to his feet and motioned towards a door opposite to the one they entered the room through. The two approached the metal door, pushing it hard until it creaked open all the way. On the other side, a wave of cool air blasted Ed's face, forcing a smile to form.

In front of them was a group of kids, their age, huddled in a group, talking in a heated discussion. Ed approached them happily, the six not noticing. Finally, Jimmy ran up and hugged Sarah, the group finally realizing that their friends were okay and ready to move on.

"Ed!" Double D happily shouted and hugged his friend.

"Lumpy, what took you so long?" Eddy grumpily said.

"Well, we had to make an unexpected stop... But we are ready to finish things. Everyone ready as well?" Ed asked, sitting among them. They all sighed and looked at him with confusion, "What? Is something wrong?"

"Ed, we have a question..." Kevin started, "In those battles that we had to nearly give our lives to protect each other... Why didn't you just use your cache and finish things before they became ugly? We could have preserved the lives of-"

"Nana and Papa..." Rolf said, getting teary eyed.

Ed sat deep in thought, for he had never been asked such a strange yet true question. Was there some reason why, while he had the minds of the greatest people to ever live, he was still missing the necessary information to finish things, "I'm... Not sure. I guess I never actually thought about it, but there must be some sort of explanation."

Double D cleared his throat, "I was trying to prove a point in our discussion before you entered, Ed, but they wouldn't listen. Now then, I presume that the cause of the strange loss of knowledge must be similar to the giant at the bottom of Benson's lake. Some sort of sentence or collection of words must be needed to unlock the rest of your cache that could have saved the lives of those loved dearly by us."

"That is the most likely reason," Ed said, "But there is no need to worry about the reasons for things in the past. We're here and alive and we're about to completely destroy Prometheus in revenge for what he has done."

"But Ed," Johnny shouted, hurting everyone's ears again, "Plank says what if you don't win?"

"Then we'll be the ones screwed." Ed said.

**To be continued...**


	30. Cache the Weapon Pt1

**Ladies and gentlemen, we've made it. The final battle, after 29 chapters, is here. Friendship becomes a major part in the battle, and where the fate of both worlds lie is in their hands.**

**I present to you Part 1 of the Strike of a Match finale. I do not own Ed Edd n Eddy. **

* * *

><p>Silence filled the meeting room that the teens had come across each other again. They all lay down on their backs, thinking about where to go from there. How would the fight against Prometheus go? Would they be able to return to their world? Nothing could be answered without facing the fear of fighting head on.<p>

"Come one, guys," Ed said, standing up and looking at the large door in the front of the room, "We have to go face him down some time soon."

Everyone shook their heads and looked down.

"We ain't gonna win this, lumpy." Kevin said.

"Kevin, do you really want Nazz to be taking care of your child alone? Great way to start her adult life, don't you think?" Ed said, pointing at the jock.

Kevin's face turned red as he pulled his hat over his head, "I can't take it, man... I don't believe any of this is actually happening anymore. We're not in a giant black hole in the sky... I'm not a damn father... None of this is real, is it?"

Everyone stared at Kevin, who began to breath heavily.

"Kevin, come on. Don't be like this." Ed said, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder.

The jock pushed him away and jumped up, "Leave me alone! You probably just want me to believe that this is all real when it isn't!"

"This is stupid, Kevin. Prometheus is planning on killing us with whatever he has in his throne room. The faster we get there, the easier this will be." Ed said, grabbing Kevin by the arms and holding him in place.

Kevin shook his head and pushed him away again, "Screw it, man. Nazz doesn't even want me."

"She is pretty much your wife at this point," Eddy said, standing up, "You were pretty pissed back when we fought Regallis. You know what you were angry about? The fact that he threw Billion, his best friend, away like trash... You might be doing the same thing to Nazz."

The teens all looked at Kevin, who was leaning against the wall, quietly sobbing tears, "We're... We're all gonna die..."

Everyone huddled around their jock friend as Ed hugged him, "No we aren't... As long as you're there."

Silence filled the room once more. Finally, Kevin stood up straight, the tears quickly drying as he approached the door, "... Then let's go. I'm not letting my child live in hell."

The heroes cheered as the large door began to emit a whirring noise, similar to that of an elevator. The doors eventually opened sideways, revealing a large elevator compartment made of complete titanium like the rooms that they were evenly divided into. As they all piled in, the door closed and the compartment began speeding upwards. No windows were available in the elevator, leaving them in complete darkness except for a slight shine from the clean titanium that made up the machine. Several minutes later, the elevator abruptly stopped and the doors flew open. On the other side was a massive room, empty of any decorations or furniture and a long, red carpet running right through the middle. The walls, floor and ceiling were all made of what appeared to be diamond. Their reflections as they stepped into the room were significantly clear as they looked at all the cuts and bruises covering their body.

"Where are we now?" Kevin asked, checking out a long scar running down his right cheek.

"Beats me. At least we can rest a little while." Ed said, wiping his finger down the wall. When he examined it, he noticed that all the dirt on his finger had disappeared, wiping off on the immaculately clean wall. Something was odd, however. How could such a bizarre room be completely devoid of anything involving Prometheus?

As the teens continued to talk about the state of the floors and walls, a noise erupted on the far end of the room, across from where they originally entered. As they all diverted their attention, a large door could be seen implanted into the wall, having all sorts of engravings of religious symbols into the frame. The actual door was made out of gold, shining brightly with wax coated over it.

"That must be it." Eddy said.

"Must be what?" Double D asked, intrigued by the door.

"Prometheus is bound to be there!" Eddy said and started running to the door. Once he was only a meter away, the gold gate blasted open, white smoke billowing out and pushing him back. The others were able to stand their ground and watch as a familiar figure exited from behind the mist, his long tail flailing wildly in excitement.

The shadow stepped closer as the fog cleared out, the teens gasping as his entire figure came into realization, "Surprised to see me?" Nightmare asked, his arms folded and his eyes glowing red.

"I thought I killed you!" Ed shouted, jumping in front of Sarah and Jimmy.

"Not at all, Edward Regal. There was no chance of you completely finishing me off. I am eternal, superior to those who stand before me. And that statement is true to this day." He growled and sent a punch sailing into Ed's face, knocking him to the ground and out cold.

The other teens began to scurry around the room, panicking as Ed didn't move an inch. Double D quickly grabbed Sarah while Kevin stayed close to Jimmy, the two working together to protect them at all costs.

Nightmare shook his head with a smirk planted on his face, "Nothing out of the ordinary. I expected this from day on." He said and stomped his foot. A miniature earthquake shook the room, sending the heroes to their knees. As the quake became more ferocious, shards of diamond fell from the ceiling, nearly impaling Johnny and Eddy in the head and Sarah in the back. The tremor ended shortly afterwards with small bits of rock covering the floor, Nightmare laughing wildly.

"What's so funny?" Kevin shouted.

"The fact that you are still refusing fate. This was meant to happen; It was pure destiny." Nightmare said.

Rolf's face turned red as he marched up to the demon, "Destiny? Is this what you call destiny? Poppycock! Rolf knows of the future and what it holds and I understand it. We were meant to lose those who we loved like sheep in the meadows because that was what gave us the ability to enter into here and stand before you, wise crack horn baby!"

Nightmare shook his head and kicked Rolf in the groin, sending the shepherd to his knees and coughing up blood, "Destiny doesn't lie to those who know the truth. Psychometrics were never meant to exist and that is destiny. You bastards were never meant to enter into here and that is destiny. I was never meant to exist, but again... That is complete destiny."

"What do you mean by that?" Eddy asked, running up to help Rolf to his feet.

"You don't truly know what I am, do you?" Nightmare cackled, "I am the ones who have died trying to corrupt Prometheus' masterpiece of a world. I am those who you have watched die and thus have allowed you to enter into here. I was never meant to be this strong, but because of the death you brought upon this world, I am and you will regret ever ignoring Regallis in the first place."

Rolf stared at Nightmare in the eyes, his teeth clenched, "You are my Nana? You are Cardinal? You are Billion? You are Regallis? Tell me, how is it that you have no heart?"

The demon stepped back, understanding the rage in the shepherd's eyes, "Why would the creation of death have a heart?"

"Rolf's Nana had a heart!" Rolf roared, pushing Eddy aside and stepping forward in rage, "Cardinal had a heart, even Billion and Regallis had a heart deep down! We know that this is all just Prometheus' imagination going poo poo, but that is the reason... Prometheus can't change their existence, just their appearance. No matter where in his mind they are, they will always remain the same inside... That explains how Regallis is different that Prescott, ya ya."

Nightmare shook his head while backing up, "You seem to be wrapped up in an estranged conspiracy, young child. You may be correct about this being Prometheus' imagination, but that doesn't change the fact that the rest of it remains within Edward Regal."

Everyone looked at Ed and then back at Nightmare, "What!"

"Yes, the true reason why we came to this forsaken planet in the first place... The terrible cache maneuver that bastard Benson had to pull in an attempt to protect Prescott's memories from us. When Ed received the cache transfer, Prometheus knew what we had to do. Since the Psychometric race is all in Prometheus' imagination, they all know the same and believe the same. Since that is the case, then Prescott's mind was really the foundation of Regallis', which was what was in Prometheus'. All in all, Ed contains the last bit of knowledge needed to completely conquer the universe and we are going to obtain that knowledge whether you all die during or survive the process."

Slowly, the demon turned his direction towards the motionless Ed on the floor, in front of Eddy's feet. Nightmare's hands began to glow a dark red, lightning flashing out of it. As he approached even closer, he raised his hand up and prepared to finish Ed off once and for all.

Then Eddy stepped in.

"Stay the hell away from my friend," Eddy said as he stood in the way of Nightmare, "You may not think much of it, but you have a heart as well and it will destroy you on the inside in the end."

The teens all watched Eddy's bravery as he stared at Nightmare in the eyes, not daring to move from his spot, "You are foolish for mocking me. I will proceed in killing you now." He said and approached closer, planning on killing both Eddy and Ed now.

"Don't take another step." Kevin shouted and dragged Jimmy with him to Eddy's side. Together, the three faced Nightmare, who stopped in his tracks and began laughing as the rest of the teens began forming a wall to protect Ed.

"Move aside or I'll kill all of you." Nightmare shouted.

"Go ahead... Kill us." Kevin said.

Nightmare was getting ready to do just that before getting struck by the words the jock had said... The same words Ed had growled at him. The words that truly showed the teens bravery and heart for their friend.

They were serious.

Nightmare, shaking with some sort of anger and pain, clenched his fists and fell to his knees, staring crazily at the ceiling while screaming. The dark skin that covered his body began falling off and floating to the ceiling, covering the diamond that was originally there. The body was gone in seconds, the ceiling completely black and the door in front of the heroes available. Before they departed, Ed was able to wake up, not bothering to ask what had just happened and quickly focusing on their objective. As they began to approach it, the ceiling abruptly turned white and shadows appeared on the floor. The teens responded to the shadows by looking up and quickly identifying multiple figures from the journey.

Nana, Cardinal, Billion, Regallis, Deadwing and Prescott, all with their hands behind their back, wearing white robes with cross necklaces around their neck, and smiling down. The six were standing in a circle around the teens, their eyes shining with pride.

"Nana?... Father?" Rolf exclaimed, his heart pounding.

"Children." Prescott proudly said, the word echoing through the room.

"Teens." They all replied with a smile.

"No, adults." The six dead said.

"How is this... Happening?" Kevin asked, confused by the sight.

"We are with you all the way," Billion said, "No matter how we were in the past... Our true forms will shine in heaven forever."

"Beyond that door is a land never seen before and that is for a reason," Regallis said, "It is called The Space Between. It is the bridge between reality and fiction. In other words, it is the bridge between your world and Prometheus' now insane imagination."

"You are to now fail us, heroes," Deadwing said, removing his sunglasses to reveal bright blue eyes, "For this is the battle for everyone."

"Edward Regal, this is the moment where you can truly show Prometheus that the cache is a treasure to not be messed with for it will cause his death." Cardinal said.

"Rolf, you be a good boy and eat your vegetable, okay?" Nana said.

Rolf nodded with a large smile, tears filling up in his eyes.

"Cardinal, Deadwing, Regallis, Billion, Nana and Prescott..." Ed said, staring at the floor nearly speechless and filling up with a sad feeling in his throat, "We will never forget any of you. All the strength that you gave us... No matter what side you were on... It all came down to what side you died on."

The six nodded, knowing that Ed was developing his own wisdom without the cache. Prescott looked towards the door, which was open and shining a bright, golden light, "Your destiny awaits."

Ed nodded as the six figures faded away into the darkness. With one foot steps, the teens all faced the door to The Space Between. Staring ahead, ignoring the bright light, they leaped through, uncertain of what awaited them. All they knew is that their success relied on each other and that they needed to work together to finish things.

This would truly show their friendship.

* * *

><p><p>

A crisp wind blew over Ed's face. The sound of waves crashing on a beach rang in his ears and the soft feeling of sand seeped into his jacket. With each of those senses awakening, so did his sight. Opening his eyes, he looked up and saw a blue sky, a strange sight for so long, and a sunset off in the distance. He sat up, looking as he found himself on a small beach, small tides crashing upon the sand in beautiful unison. Looking around him, he saw his seven other friends stranded at different parts of the beach. They all seemed to wake up to each other's moaning, but smiling as they stared at one another in relief that they were alive.

As they got their balance again, they huddled into a group and looked at the forest that was seated at the top of the beach, filled with nothing but trees and grass. They began noting what sort of obstacles could be in there, but then ultimately decided the best thing to do was venture in and be prepared for anything.

"Everyone ready?" Ed asked.

The seven others nodded nervously with a straight, brave face.

Ed nodded back and stared into the forest, a stone path with random curves thrown about. With one final deep breath, they stepped onto the path and began marching, knowing that with each step they were with each other all the way. No life was inside the forest, only the trees, grass and stone path. The forest blocked out the sun, leaving them in mostly darkness with the wind blowing through the grass and timbers, giving them a peaceful feeling.

Several minutes later, they found the end of the path, leading out of the forest but to another beach. It was here they realized that The Space Between was an island, indicating death yet hope and peace at the same time. They walked onto the beach, slipping off their shoes and letting the sand entering between their toes. This side was much larger and flatter and the tides were massive in the distance but shrunk by the time they reached the shore. They stepped to the edge, the water washing away the sand and cooling them off, washing away some blood as well. After several minutes of relaxing, they put their shoes back on and stood at the edge of the shore, watching the sunset in the distance. The sun seemed to not be moving at all, sitting in the same place completely. They all felt at peace for once.

"I see you love this place as much as I do." A voice calmly said from the edge where the forest meets the beach.

The teens all turned at the same time to face a tall man with purple and white armor, the bottom of a robe covering the back of his legs, a pointed helmet and a large scythe in his hands. The man laughed as the teens' hearts began pounding with fear.

"Prometheus!" Jimmy shouted in anger.

"So glad you remembered me." Prometheus laughed.

Ed stepped forward, "It ends now, Prometheus. You may think that we know nothing, but that is just the thing. We know the truth behind the Psychometric race and the Silver Nova, so there is no way you can keep that to your little imaginary race."

Prometheus laughed, "On the contrary. Don't you remember that little point your friends made? About why you didn't just use your cache to win all your fights? That part of your cache that is still locked belongs to me and that is why you don't know the entirety of my army."

"Yeah, you're one man army." Eddy retorted.

"So you guys are being brave now, eh?" Prometheus said, strolling down the beach to get closer to the heroes, "I hope you realize that feeling won't last forever."

"Oh, we'll make sure it does," Eddy said, pushing Ed aside and staring at Prometheus in rage, "You think that all hope is lost for us. You think that you have won because we don't have a home along with all the survivors on Earth. But you don't seem to understand that our world is connected in a way that you bastards could never realize. We are all connected in a way that we understand each other and can pull through all this tragedy. To you, it seems like the end for us. But to us, it is only the strike of a match, the beginning of a new age, a new start to all of us. In a way, you helped us fix what was corrupted and wrong with our world, and with that help from you we will prosper."

The villain's smile turned to a frown as he gripped the scythe with both hands, "Are you saying that you have somehow outsmarted me into saving your damned race?"

"Everyone knows it." Eddy said.

"Do you realize that you will not be able to return to your world because I am about to destroy you for rebelling against your superior?" Prometheus roared.

Eddy shook his head, "You aren't superior to anyone. All the Psychometrics are you and we destroyed them all. If that doesn't happen, the heart of all those who died will eventually erupt within you and drive you to insanity."

"I will kill you and make sure this bridge is forever gone, your world becoming my true reality." Prometheus shouted, his rage consistently building up with each second.

"You won't kill us," Eddy said, everyone changing into a battle stance, "We came all this way to make sure you are given a taste of your own medicine. We came all this way and we aren't going down without a fight."

"Then let's see you puppies dance!" Prometheus replied in anger, driving the butt of his scythe into the sand. The piece of island underneath the eight heroes began to shake and fly into the distant water. As it began to soar through the air, Eddy leaped into the air, his fist clenched ready to strike a blow against the worst enemy mankind has ever known.

**To be concluded...**


	31. Cache the Weapon Pt2

**I've been working on this story for several months and never actually thought about uploading it to the site. After thinking it over, I eventually did and this story was released to the public. Whether you enjoyed it or hated it, I still would like to say "Thank You" for at least viewing it. **

**Please proceed as our story concludes... **

* * *

><p>As Eddy's fist neared Prometheus' face, the villain quickly back flipped out of the way, his scythe still solid in his grip. The others barely made it off the long gone portion of the island that was sent into the ocean. Prometheus laughed as everyone began sprinting towards him, trying to get a hit on him. With every attempt, he merely stepped aside and watched them flail around, trying to seem rough. With no damage done to him and his challengers defending themselves, he laughed and began spinning the scythe in his hand like a flag.<p>

"Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic," He said, holding the scythe still in his hand as it began to develop some sort of black glow around it, "Now, I'll show you a fight." He said. Everyone stared in shock as the black energy around his scythe shot up into the sky, disappearing into the blue and shooting back down into the center of the forest.

The entire area became a flash of white light, disappearing for several solid seconds. Everything finally returned to view, except only the island remained; The forest, grass and stone path were obliterated, leaving only a medium sized island to fight on.

Prometheus laughed and stepped towards the group, who backed up to the center of the island, "Why are you so scared? You deserve this. You should have guessed that I would rip you apart if you tried to rebel against my race."

"They aren't people!" Ed said and dashed at him. He began pounding his fists towards his body, the attacks blocked by Prometheus' skilled scythe use. Ed backed up and attempted to slide and trip the villain, ultimately failing and being jabbed repeatedly in the head with the butt of the scythe. He rolled towards the ocean, nearly knocked out again.

Sarah stared with her eyes wide, "Ed, we need you!"

"The brilliant always die first," Prometheus said and began looking throughout the group, "Now, who do I want to kill first?"

Double D stepped forward, "Kill all of us and prove that you can do that."

"Very well." Prometheus sighed and swiped the sharp edge of his scythe towards the group, the seven jumping back in time. Kevin was the first to jump forward and launch an attack. Punching Prometheus in the stomach, he jumped back slightly, the scythe still strong in his grip. Kevin ran to the side immediately after, Prometheus following wherever he went. Then, with a single motion, he leaped forward and swiped at the jock's back, making a massive cut that seeped with blood. Kevin fell to the ground, his face halfway out of the sound and his eyes shedding tears of pain.

Johnny stood in the very back as Prometheus eyed him being a coward. He looked down at Plank, who was in his arm, and began listening to what his friend was apparently saying, "What's that, buddy?... Really? You wanna try that? Well, okay..." He said and looked back at Prometheus, smiling and chuckling. Johnny, expressionless, held Plank with both hands and chucked him at Prometheus, who was slow to react. Hitting him in the face, he backed up a bit in shock and looked down at the piece of wood who had attacked him. Preparing to step on it and break it, Eddy took his chance and head butted Prometheus in the stomach, sending him backwards and onto his back, "Nice shot, buddy!" Johnny said, running up and picking his friend up.

Eddy laughed and wiped his hands, "Ready to give in?"

Prometheus shook his head and laughed wickedly, "This is only the beginning." He cackled and looked up, his pupils getting bigger as he was obviously going insane. Swiftly, he leaped at Eddy and attempted to jab the butt of the scythe into his head. The short ed grabbed the scythe and tugged at it, sending Prometheus behind him and past the rest of the group. He landed on his knees, grunting in pain as sand began blowing in a strong gust of wind into his face. As he wiped it away, Eddy dove back at him, punching him in the face multiple times before being thrown off. As he came into contact with the beach, Prometheus approached him, his scythe prepared to shed blood, and began the swinging motion to kill Eddy.

"Stay away from him!" Double D cried and grabbed the bottom of the sharp edge of the scythe. With a strong tug, he was able to pull Prometheus backwards and onto his back again. Eddy got back up and ran over with Double D to the rest of the standing group, which consisted of Johnny, Sarah, Jimmy and Rolf, who stepped out to give the next hits.

Prometheus stood back up and held the scythe in both hands, approaching Rolf with anger, "Why do you rebel against me?... It's sad when a government can't live without it's people..."

"You have no people, you son of a gun." Rolf said and sent a punch into the insane villain's face, sending him onto his back again. The punch reminded him a lot of the finishing attack on Billion, which really showed how much he had grown since his innocent childhood.

"My people... They are watching..." Prometheus said and stood back up using only his feet, his hands still clutching the scythe with an iron grip. Rolf stared in frozen horror as the sharp end of the scythe came swinging around towards him, nearly slicing his head right off before Jimmy could tackle him to the ground, saving him from his horrified state.

Double D ran over, holding Sarah's hand, and grabbed Jimmy, taking them over to a safe part of the island, away from the battle. Eddy, Rolf and Johnny remained to fight, Kevin still on the ground and Ed in an unknown state. The three fighters surrounded Prometheus on all sides, preparing to attack him at the same time, "Alright, ready?... Set... Go!" Eddy shouted as the three jumped, fists and feet ready to attack. However, they were knocked onto their backs as the evildoer swung the weapon at them, countering their attacks and giving him an advantage.

As he stepped up to Eddy, his scythe shining and ready to stab into him, Johnny quickly leaped onto his back, giving Eddy enough time to get up and help Rolf up, who was beginning to grow tired from the battle. Eddy pushed Rolf towards where Double D was waiting with Sarah and Jimmy and remained behind to help Johnny, who was about to be attacked by Prometheus.

"Don't you dare hurt him, you heartless bastard," Eddy shouted and kicked Prometheus in the head, Johnny jumping off the ground and preparing to use Plank as a weapon, as suggested by the wood itself. Whacking the villain in the head, the combination of attacks sent him onto his side in the sand, "Johnny, go help Kevin. I've got this guy."

Johnny nodded and sprinted over to Kevin, who's cut was slightly better but still causing terrible pain. Eddy stared at Prometheus as he stood up and eyed Double D and the others resting. As he tried to sprint and kill them all, Eddy tripped him in the legs and watched the scythe fly out of his grip and to the edge of the beach. He quickly began running the fastest he had ever had to the weapon, grabbing it and looking quickly just as Prometheus got to his feet, his eyes widening as he identified the figure who was holding the weapon.

"Give that back... Or die!" Prometheus roared.

Eddy stood his ground.

"Then die!" The villain screeched and dashed at an incredible speed, appearing in front of Eddy in seconds and grabbing a hold of the scythe once again. With the blade now in his possession again, he began pounding Eddy in the head with it's butt, sending the teen hero into a daze. Prometheus then flipped the scythe around, now holding the butt, and preparing to kill Eddy, who could not stop the attack.

Before he could slice, a hard surface collided with his head, knocking him off balance. Johnny quickly ran around and pulled Eddy aside, who quickly regained his conscious. Johnny pointed to Kevin, who was now with Double D and the rest of the group, resting. Eddy nodded, "Johnny, if Prometheus ever gets past me I'm going to need you to be there to guard them. Stay there for now while I handle things."

"But what about Ed?" Johnny asked.

"I've got him." Eddy replied and pushed Johnny, who began sprinting to the other side of the island. Eddy stepped up to higher ground, watching as Prometheus made his way up their as well. The two stood tall, staring at each other with their eyes showing rage and anger.

"It's all over," Prometheus laughed, "That little team of yours couldn't save Edward Regal, and now look at him... He's dead! There's no doubt that you guys have not only embarrassed yourselves, but you have also ensured that I shall be a god to the universe!"

"The fight's not over." Eddy said, running forward. He instantly threw a punch that was grabbed by one of Prometheus' open hands. With Eddy's hand in his grip, he began twisting, eventually snapping the hero's wrist and sending him into a massive pain. He ran away, to the safe group, and stared back as Prometheus approached them, scythe in hand and a malevolent smile on his face.

As he was only a meter away from them, he laughed, "I've got you all! Let's see you make it off this island now, eh? Ha! You are going to die right here and there's nothing you can do to stop me... You've wasted your strength and energy on worthless attacks that only provoke me, so the joke's on you."

Everyone was crying, huddling into a packed group as he grew closer. However, their attention turned to behind him, where their frowns of despair turned into smiles. Prometheus, confused, turned around to see Ed, standing in the middle of the island, awake and ready to do his part.

"Stay away from my friends." Ed said.

"Not a chance." Prometheus replied, chuckling as he stepped away from the group and towards Ed, who was standing his ground, his eyes shining brightly as he knew it was up to him whether they survived or died.

Ed shook his head and nearly began crying as he watched his friends smile at him. He knew that they expected him to win and save them, but he knew that he couldn't promise anything, "Prometheus..."

Prometheus stopped in his tracks and stared at the last standing hero, "Edward Regal, just stay dead. You can't defy my strength and defense without unlocking that last bit of cache in your dying brain. Throw in the towel, call it a day, and just drown yourself already. It's not worth it anymore."

"Not at all!" Ed shouted, "I'm not dying knowing that my friends counted on me to save them. I will not die until I know that they are safe and okay."

The villain shook his head, gripping the scythe in both hands, getting ready to strike, "But it's not worth it! What have they done for you? They treat you like the laughing stock of the neighborhood, the special ed kid who has to be treated nicely. Can't you see that it's pointless to be fighting for these so called 'friends'?"

"They are my friends, so don't say otherwise. You don't know the feeling of love because all that evil is just eating away at those hearts that belonged to your own men. How does it feel to be betrayed and hated by all those around you?" Ed asked, not moving.

Prometheus ignored the question and dashed at Ed, jabbing the scythe into his stomach and knocking him onto his front. With him defenseless, the brute began constantly beating him in the back with both the butt and blade of the scythe, the kids crying in terror as blood soaked the sand around Ed. Moans and groans of pain filled the air as Ed was dying, the blade of ultimate evil penetrating his skin and bringing him to his end.

On the verge of death, Ed lay still. Prometheus stopped and got onto his knee, looking at the hero's tear filled face, "Edward, it's time. It's time you died. I'm glad this day came earlier than expected because I thought I would turn into an overrun dictator before you showed up."

"Make it stop..." Ed moaned.

Prometheus cackled, "Don't you understand? I've won! I've killed the smartest human known to man and it barely took any skill... Just some ass kicking and that's all."

"Make it all stop!" Ed shouted in pain.

"Very well," Prometheus said, standing up and readying his scythe for the final blow, "But be warned: There is no love in heaven. Heaven is for the sick minded. Hell suits you better. You wanna know why?"

Ed nodded.

"Because you promote lies. Filthy, forbidden lies that should have never seen reality. But thanks to you, you had to come through and screw all my dreams up, making me into the laughingstock who was running amok. Well, who's the laughingstock now?"

"Me..." Ed said quietly.

"Exactly. And once I kill you, I'll kill all your friends and they'll burn in hell like you. In fact, all of Earth will burn in hell once I'm finished and there will be nothing worth going back to. Puny humans stand no chance against me." Prometheus laughed.

"Make it stop!" Ed roared.

Prometheus nodded, wiping the edge of the blade, "Edward, why couldn't you be like me? Rule two worlds and, eventually the entire universe. Instead you decide to live in fairy tales."

Ed shed even more tears as blood was surrounding his fallen body.

"Love is a myth, Edward." Prometheus laughed, raising the scythe into the air, the edge ready to kill Edward Horus Regal and finish the war.

Suddenly, Ed's eyes shot open. Time seemed slow for a few seconds as those words rang around in his head, a headache developing like insanity. Something was coming over him... But what?

The blade was only inches away from Ed's head when he rolled aside and jumped up, his wounds becoming nothing to him instantly. The blade drove itself into the ground while Prometheus watched Ed stare at him with eyes full of revenge, "Edward, I thought you wanted me to kill you already?"

"Change of plans, Prometheus," Ed said, his fists clenched, "I've got more important things to handle."

The kids, who were originally crying in deep sorrow as Prometheus tortured Ed, were now wide eyed and surprised by Ed's sudden healing. The wounds from the stabs remained, yet he acted like they weren't there.

"Well, let's try that again, I insist!" Prometheus howled in laughter and swung the scythe at Ed, who grabbed the side and forced it out of the evildoer's grip, sending it back and onto the sand, "Edward Regal, what's going on?"

"I am here to destroy you." Ed said.

Prometheus shook his head, "Not quite," He said and leaped over Ed, grabbing the scythe and turned around just in time to block Ed's head butt at him. The scythe began to show that it was about to give in and break, so Prometheus quickly pushed Ed aside and sat his scythe on the ground, "You want a casual fight? One on one? Let's finish this, then!"

Ed dashed at him before he could even finish, grabbing his waist with a tight grip and staring it his eyes with rage, "Don't mock me. I will destroy you."

"And how so?"

Ed laughed, "You shouldn't have done that."

The kids all looked at Ed, who had somehow become stronger than Prometheus in a matter of seconds, despite being beaten for several minutes straight on the ground, "What has gotten into Ed? He's somehow... Better, even without medicine and crap!" Eddy said.

Double D stood beside Eddy as the rest of the group stood up. He examined Ed's grip on the villain and noticed Ed wasn't shaking and completely confident, "This isn't normal how he could pull off such a strange feat like this..." Edd trailed off before standing up straight in realization, "Ed's cache... It's been unlocked!"

Everyone looked at Double D and then at Ed, who definitely showed signs of knowing what he was doing, "Are you sure?" Kevin asked.

Double D smiled, his heart pounding with hope, "I am completely sure."

The group began watching with full attention as Ed began to make his next move on the Psychometric king.

"What are you going to do to me now, bastard?" Prometheus laughed, watching as Ed stared into his eyes, holding his waist. Prometheus tried to move and break the grip, but found that it was stronger than he originally thought.

"I know everything." Ed laughed.

Prometheus shook his head, laughing at how much of an idiot Ed was before realizing the truth: He had unlocked Ed's cache for him, "Oh... God..."

"Let me demonstrate how I am going to destroy you, non-believer!" Ed roared and pushed Prometheus away, "Come at me, damn it!"

Prometheus, shaking with fear, dashing at Ed with a fist but was stopped in mid place by Ed, who grabbed the top of his helmet.

"With this cache, I know all the vital signs to give significant pain to you." Ed said, sliding around to the villain's back and sticking his fingers into his neck, causing him to gag and choke. Prometheus got to his knees and began coughing up blood. He finally stopped, but wasn't able to protect himself from Ed.

"With this cache, I know the single best point to break someone's back." Ed said, raised his knee and jabbed it into the center of Prometheus' spine. A loud cracking noise echoed through the island while the villain shrieked in horrible pain, staring into the sky with a blank stare.

"With this cache, I know the best possible way to break someone's arms." Ed said, staying behind Prometheus and grabbing a hold of his hands. Placing the bottom of his foot on the villain's back, Ed pushed, snapping the arms immediately and sending Prometheus into terrible shock. After breaking his arms, Ed went to the front, where Prometheus was on his knees, shaking in fear and pain. Ed stared down at him and shook his head in disapproval.

"Now what?" Prometheus quietly said.

"It's time things were finished." Ed said, looking over and seeing his friends walk up to see Ed finish the battle.

"Please... Reconsider..." Prometheus pleaded, almost into a full blown cry.

"With this cache," Ed shouted, placing his hand firmly on the top of Prometheus' head, "I can rid the world of filthy scumbags like yourself. I can rid the world of monsters like you and ultimately make it a better place. I can do anything... But I choose not to. And that is what makes me who I am. I am not evil but I will do what is necessary. Prometheus... You deserved this from the start." Ed shouted, thrusting his arms back with his hand still placed upon the villain's head. Out of nowhere, the head of Prometheus shot off, Ed holding it in his hand as blood began to shoot out from the monster's neck, shooting into the sky and falling back down in the form of rain.

Ed looked over at his friends, who were staring wide eyed in shock.

"Guys, I know that this was a bit harsh but-"

Everyone immediately smiled, running up to Ed and hugging him while blood continued to rain down upon the island, the head of Prometheus still in Ed's hand. They all cheered Ed on, hugging him and smiling.

"You did it, monobrow! We can finally go home!" Eddy cried with joy.

Ed nodded, walking to the water and chucking the head into the water in the distance. With a single splash, the head was gone from sight forever. The victor turned around to see his friends stare at each other with frowns, their eyes filling up with tears yet again, "What's the matter?"

"Can we... Really go home?" Double D asked, almost making a sob.

Ed stopped in place and looked around at whatever was on the island. All that was left from the battle was sand, blood, Prometheus' body and his scythe. Ed walked up and picked up the scythe, examining the weapon up and down, eventually sighing and walking up to his friends.

"Guys, to the center of the island." He said, walking to the very center. As everyone followed him, he stood in place and looked at Kevin, "Grab a hold of each other around me."

Kevin nodded and looked next to him to Eddy, who grabbed a hold of his hand. The rest of them grabbed a hold of each other's hand, making a circle around Ed, who pointed the top of the weapon to the blue sky above.

"O Great gods of reality, there has been blood shed in thy most unlikely of habitats. This forbidden land shall be lost once more and shall we become one with reality as well." He said, closing his eyes. Everyone else did as well, hoping for the best.

A few minutes passed before finally a massive storm cloud formed above from the sand on the island. As the sand flew up to make the storm cloud, a large stone platform was revealed to be underneath it. A blue light shot from the scythe and into the black eye of the storm, the light spreading throughout the rest of the clouds. The light then changed from blue to gold, going from the scythe to Ed to everyone around Ed.

"Please let this be no more than a lost sin." Ed said finally.

All sight was lost as everything went gold.

* * *

><p>A strange sensation formed around Ed's body. He was standing up, he knew that much, but his eyes wouldn't open. Or maybe he didn't want them to open. A cool breeze floated around wherever he was, giving him a nice feeling inside.<p>

"Open your eyes, Edward." A voice said.

Ed nodded and opened his eyes, finding himself in a gray room. There was no floor, no walls or ceiling. It looked to be storm clouds, but he couldn't be sure. After noticing his surroundings, he looked forward and saw Prescott Regal VII, standing in his white robe and cross necklace. He was smile, his hands together in front of him.

"Did I succeed, Prescott?"

Prescott nodded, "There's no doubt about that."

Ed looked down, finding himself floating in the air yet it seemed like he was standing on a solid ground, "Prescott, where are we? I thought we were in The Space Between but..."

"This is the Lost Existence. It is the black hole that swallows all those that are to be erased from ever happening. Us Chancellors take care of the Lost Existence." He said, smiling still.

Ed looked up, "Chancellors? You mean you and all of them in the white robes... That means you're chancellors?"

"That is correct. We run the Lost Existence. The Silver Nova is currently being sent through here, so I have to remain here and make sure it is gone for good." Prescott said.

"Have you been a chancellor this entire time?" Ed asked, "I thought you were trapped inside that giant forever."

Prescott shook his head, "Edward, that giant imprisoned me to the Lost Existence to the point where I had to fight to ensure I didn't get erased completely."

Ed nodded, understanding it now, "And everyone else?"

"They joined me as they saw it as a way to make sure you and your friends have a successful future," Prescott said and stepped in front of Ed, putting his hand on his shoulder, "You are here for a reason, Edward Regal, my descendant."

"Why is that?" Ed asked.

"The other chancellors were wondering if you wished to become one as well," Prescott asked, "All the dedication you showed to the world and your friends proves that you have the skill to become the best there is and ensure a bright future for all."

Ed shook his head, "I can't. My friends need me to cope with all of this and I need to be there for them. I'm sorry, but I must decline."

Prescott nodded, "Is there anything you would like, Edward?"

Ed sighed, "I don't want this cache anymore."

Prescott's eyes shot wide open, "What? Why?"

"The fact that I am superior in knowledge and strength to my friends and family gives me the feeling of immortality and that I am like a god to them... The feeling of equality is something that is not seen or felt everyday. That is what I want to change," Ed said, "Please, do this one request for me."

Prescott was about to persuade him into thinking it over before nodding and understanding Ed's reasoning, "Very well. Edward..." He said, raising his hands into the air as white orbs appeared in his hands, "We will never forget you." He said, clapping his hands and the orbs together. A loud boom shook the Lost Existence and all went dark for Ed.

* * *

><p>Chirping. Humming. Wind. Something didn't feel right.<p>

Double D opened his eyes slowly, laying on his back and staring at the sky.

The blue sky.

"Is this... For real?" He asked himself.

He sat up, looking around and finding himself in the junkyard, the others all laying in different mountains of trash. One by one, they woke up and smiled back at Double D, who began looking around anxiously for Ed. When at first the hero wasn't visible to anyone, he began digging through the mountains of trash. Soon the others joined in as well until Jimmy shouted that he had found him.

Double D ran over and pulled out Ed's arm, the boy flying out and landing on the ground below. Everyone ran to his side as his eyes opened and stared at the sky. As all the teens sighed in relief that he was alive, he shouted randomly, "Gravy! The sky is back to being colorful and fruity!"

"Oh, no!" Double D shouted, nearly crying, "He lost the knowledge when... When he returned... He's back to plain, old Ed without a brain..."

Everyone nodded, looking as Ed sat up and looked at Double D, "Not quite. I may not be as smarticles as I used to be, but it's time for me to mature on my own... Without science."

Double D wiped his eyes of tears and smiled, "I... I understand, Ed. But please... Don't revert back to your abnormal usage of-"

"Butter toast?" Ed jokingly interrupted.

Everyone laughed and look around the area. Mountains of trash surrounded them on all sides with a small path running in between them. That's where they wanted to go.

Ed smiled, crying tears of absolute joy, "We need to go back to the cul-de-sac. I want to see everyone... I'm just glad... That that is over."

The other teens nodded in agreement. They began walking around the maze of trash, finding the wooden fence that blocked it from the outside. They took the path leading up to the neighborhood, looking at each other and the scars and blood that covered their faces and body. They had gone through so much, and they hadn't even graduated high school yet.

Halfway through the trail, it entered into the now returned forest. They continued along it, watching the squirrels and other animals run about happily. The path finally ended at the beginning of the cul-de-sac and the teens arrived, all of them smiling as they stared down the road at some sort of gathering.

A banner hung from two telephone poles, reading "WELCOME HOME" and a large crowd of familiar people and friends stood around, smiling and cheering as the heroic teens walked towards them. They were being recognized for their actions and saving the world.

As they got closer, they saw Dr. Benson and Combs and the kids who they were protecting along with Eddy's brother, their families and school friends, and just about everyone from Arms Town. As they reached the group, the kids from the tower ran up and began hugging everyone, congratulating them on a successful mission and thanking them for saving their lives.

Ed smiled, as did everyone, at the sight of everyone happy to see them. Kevin stepped forward next to Ed while the kids went around and talked with the other teens, "So, this is gonna be awesome, eh? I could get really used to this."

Ed was about to jokingly reply before looking straight ahead in shock, "Well, that and there's also something else you should get used to."

"What?" Kevin asked and looked at crowd. As soon as he glanced over, he saw Nazz, in a wheelchair with a newborn child in her arms, asleep. Nazz smiled and signaled for Kevin to go over there, "This... This is..."

"Our child! It's a boy!" Nazz exclaimed excitedly.

"Nazz," Kevin said, bursting into a sudden cry, "I'm not ready for this. We can't take care of a baby on our own."

"Ahem." Ed coughed.

Kevin turned around and looked at the other teens, staring at him with smiles all around, "Kevin, we are your friends... We are willing to chip in and help you with all the trouble of parenting. We understand that you just got done fighting for your life... But you were also fighting for his future."

Everyone else nodded as Kevin cried even more tears, falling to his knees, "You guys... Really are my friends..." He sobbed. Finally, he stopped and looked over at his child, who had woken up and stared at him with his clear green eyes, "You look like him..." Kevin said to himself.

"What should we name him?" Nazz asked.

Everyone crowded around to hear Kevin's decision.

He smiled, "Prescott."

**The End**

**Remember those random insights I gave throughout the story? Continue to the epilogue if you want to read a few more. **


	32. Epilogue

_** 5 YEARS LATER...**_  
>XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX<p>

The rain that caused flash flood warnings the previous weekend had now dispersed and completely vanished from Providence, leaving a sunny city waiting for exciting activities. Eddward Marion Landers, who lived in a cozy brick house on Manning Street, woke up on the morning of September 5th where most academies were on a one day vacation. Smiling as he got out of bed and walked to his kitchen in his one story house, he watched TV and saw someone from his childhood at a press conference, wearing a tuxedo and longer, smoother hair. Several guards surrounded him, wearing sunglasses and their shiny, bald heads shining under the light of the room.

"People of New York and beyond," Eddy said, leaning onto the podium and smiling, "I am here to inform those who are clients of Affleck Incorporated that I, Edward Skipper Affleck, have been given the title of CEO, a title passed down by my father and his father. I am prepared to deliver the support and success that I have been bestowed with!"

Applause erupted within the room, lasting for several minutes.

Eddy nodded and signaled for the audience to calm down, "The bank will be offering more lineups for clients within the Buffalo and Queens areas of New York. We will also be opening up headquarters for different sections of the bank in Chicago and San Diego."

Double D smiled incredibly as he found out where Eddy had gone after disappearing from high school graduation all those years ago. He had apparently gone to work for his father's bank, Affleck Inc., and was now appointed the CEO.

Turning off the television and returning to his room, he took a rinse in his shower and dressed in that day's attire. As he exited from the bathroom and opened his laptop, he began skimming the internet for events in Providence that would occupy his entertainment for the day. Before he could buy tickets to an opera concert, a knock on the door startled him and accidentally caused him to the close the window, "Oh, tarnation." He said and stood up from his kitchen table, walking to the door and unlocking it. As he opened it, a tall figure appeared with a green jacket, slim jeans, a flat top and a smile, "... Ed!"

Ed nodded, eyeing Double D's uncovered ragged hair, black and short and sort of rough. He stood still in realizing that Double D was done wearing his ski hat, "Yep, good to see you too, Double D!"

"Please, call me Edd. I've grown old for such a childish name." Edd said, opening the door all the way and inviting his childhood friend into his home. They both sat down in the living room while Edd poured them cups of coffee. As he took his seat, Ed looked around, admiring the home that Edd was able to purchase.

"Quite a place ya got here." Ed said, sipping his coffee.

"Yeah, it was cheap for what it is." Edd smiled and sipped his coffee, coughing it up as he realized he had accidentally made it black.

"Well, it's still quite a place. Nice and settled in a pleasant community, outside the city but not too far from everything... Say, where do you work now? That might determine if I really think of this as an awesome location for your home." Ed said, finishing off his coffee and leaning back on Edd's large couch. Edd took their cups to the kitchen and returned, taking his seat on a vintage chair across from the TV and couch.

Edd scratched his short, black and rough hair, feeling how long it was and how he needed a hair cut, "I'm actually a psychology professor at Brown University. Recently got my degree... At such a young age, too!" He laughed.

Ed chuckled in response, "Well, that's quite a position for you."

"So, where have you been these past years? I haven't heard from you, Eddy or Rolf since our graduation. Eddy is a CEO of a bank, I have no idea about Rolf, and what about you? I'm curious to find out what you put your talents to use in." Edd said, crossing his legs and listening closely.

"I signed up for JROTC in my senior year and then I was recruited into the army and sent to Afghanistan." Ed said, flexing his muscles to show off how much bigger they had gotten.

"You were in the army?" Edd asked in shock.

"Yeah, I was nearly awarded the Medal of Honor before someone cheated me out of it... I came home empty handed except with health bonuses," Ed said, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a note, "Also, I received this from I think Rolf while I was serving."

Edd took the note and began reading aloud, "Dearest Edward Regal, I am grateful for your service to aid the world in terror, ya ya. I have returned to my home country o' New Zealand to meet with my mama and discuss my past. Rolf feels that America isn't right for me. If you ever are in the area, feel free to stop by and chat, yes? Sincerely, Rolf Wetzel."

"Rolf apparently moved back to New Zealand after high school. I guess with the feeling of losing both his Nana and father, no one can really blame him." Ed said, pondering the futures of the other kids of the cul-de-sac.

"Interesting. I guess we should have seen this coming." Edd said, setting the note on a table next to his chair.

"And how about the others?" Ed asked.

"Well, Eddy is a CEO of a bank, which I just found out this morning," Edd began, "Kevin and Nazz got married two years ago since I attended the ceremony."

"How's Prescott?

"He's actually very healthy and active! He aspires to be an athlete like Kevin and is playing sports every season. We played volleyball at the reception and he won by a large margin." Edd chuckled, reminiscing on the event.

"What do Kevin and Nazz do?"

"Kevin is some dirt bike rider in Michigan while Nazz is studying to be a nurse." Edd said, "They moved to Michigan after the wedding, buying a small house in Ann Arbor. Kevin is actually quite the expert in the field of sports."

Ed nodded, "I can see that."

"I saw everyone at the reception and somehow got drawn into a conversation with Johnny!" Edd said.

"Did he still have Plank?"

"Oh yeah. You'd never guess what they do now," Edd said, "They're travelling story tellers! They've written multiple best-sellers... And by accident! They write random things on paper and publish it... Somehow, the kids find them interesting."

"What are they about?"

"Some dude called Captain Melonhead and stuff."

Ed smiled at the story, "Ha, I get it now."

"Yeah, their not horrible yet not fantastic. More on the mediocre end of the scale."

"And dare I ask about Sarah and Jimmy?"

Edd began thinking, try to remember if he saw the two at the reception or not, "Oh, right. If I remember correctly, they are somewhat involved in that thing... I think it's called Project Runway?"

"Really? Huh, that's interesting."

"Yeah, so that's pretty much everyone. I don't even want to know what happened to the Kankers." Edd said, standing up and turning on the TV to Cartoon Network.

Ed looked at the screen, "This is so stupid. I mean, cartoons all day? What's the point?"

"Well, cartoons can bring out the nostalgia of some who grew up with them in the fifties and sixties. You have to understand the impact that they have had." Edd stated, changing the channel to CBS.

Ed watched as a story about an identity theft case that was finally solved after over a decade. As the story progressed, the two were shocked as the names of the identity thieves were revealed. The news anchor, Angus Finch, a Finnish journalist, was seen in front of a Beverly Hills courthouse with a large book in his hands.

"Yes, this case has been very strange as there has not been any light shone upon it. However, thanks to the new age of technology and our new partnership with Mogul Media, we were able to track down the thieves who stole May Bell, Lee Bell and Marie Bell's identities back in 1999. The criminals, known by many as the Kankers, stole the identity after being involved in drug crimes in southern Florida, moving to Rhode Island and hiding out in a rural trailer park, trying whatever they could to steal other's identities. We were able to track their emails and pinpoint their location in the community of Peach Creek. The Kankers are faced with a $10,000 penalty for multiple crimes and an undetermined sentence in the county jail, estimated to be between ten to thirty years. Their pleading guilty and their testimony will be heard in two weeks." Angus finished, the screen transitioning back to the regular anchors.

Ed and Edd looked at each other, "Do you think?..." Edd began.

"They wanted our identities that entire... time?" Ed said calmly.

The two continued to stare at each in silence before another knock on the door broke it. Edd opened the front door and returned to the living room with a small package, sent from a random person titled "Dark Describer". Opening up the package, he took out a book called "Memoirs of", with nothing but blank pages filling it.

"What in the world?..." Edd said, flipping through. The cover of the book was white with the simple black words of the title on it. No author or publisher.

Ed grabbed the book and looked at it, "This is quite strange."

"Ed, what are you going to do now?" Edd asked randomly.

Ed looked up, setting the book aside, "I haven't really thought about that, to be honest... I have so many things I would want to do, but there aren't opportunities open for me to go after them."

"What about your real family? Did you find them yet?"

Ed remained silent, looking to the book, "... No."

Edd nodded and stood up, "Ed, you know what? I think that is your next mission. Find your family, find your true past, and become who you were truly meant to be. There's no reason that the ones who brought you in this world should be erased from your memories! You should meet them... Find them and find the truth."

Ed smiled and stood up, "I think you're right except for the fact that I have no leads that could bring them to me."

Edd picked up "Memoirs of" and handed it to Ed, "This could be a clue, I guess."

"How? It was sent to you!"

"I have no idea who the hell Dark Describer is nor did I ever order something like this. If there's anything that could be related to you, it would be this." Edd said.

Ed nodded and took the book, putting it in his jacket pocket and shaking Edd's hand firmly, "I need to find a lead if I'm going to do this."

"I think I have the perfect place to go," Edd said, "Remember Benson's lake house?"

Ed nodded.

"Go there. Your father supposedly placed the words of Coldplay there as a hint for the savior to come along and successfully save the world. If you can somehow find anything there, then you are well on your way. Plus, if you run into trouble, you're already ensured for health care." Edd said, patting his friend on the shoulder and turning off the TV.

Ed nodded and began to make his way to the door, taking one last look at Edd before walking away to a Camaro in front of the house. Taking out his keys and turning the engines on, he waved good-bye to Edd in the doorway and sped off down the road, leaving out of sight.

The future holds so much for those who make it worthwhile. If there is no hope, then those who believe that are willing to throw away their lives only to be slackers and wait for the jobs to be done for them. If there is a dream, a goal, a personal mission to you...

Fight for it, like Ed is about to.

* * *

><p><strong>And the story is over.<strong>

**As for the future of Ed, I plan to write a sequel eventually but not at the moment. It'll focus mainly on Ed's world travels to find his real family and will also include some other characters, most original but some familiar faces will return.**

**One little bit of insight I want to push out into the open was how I imagined the entire story happening in my head. I always worked out the story and fights scenes like they were an anime or cartoon (primarily cartoon). One thing that I thought about was how could I incorporate my love of music into everything? While listening to music one night and imagining out the story would end, I came across a song by my second favorite band, Porcupine Tree, called "Pure Narcotic". I thought about it playing as the teens met with the crowd in the streets and playing throughout the epilogue, peaceful acoustic song with a good meaning.**

**Throughout my attempts at actually completing a story, I always knew that there was one scenario that I wanted to write about: The apocalypse. I finally got to do although it wasn't in the way I originally imagined it to happen. Later on, as I complete my projects on here, I may or may not move over to FictionPress and continue writing there. Seems like writing original stories might come in handy later in life than writing fan stories. But this'll do for now.**


End file.
